Embry's Story
by kat3411
Summary: Embry Call is the ladies man of the pack. Always out for a good time. What happens when he finds someone and wants more than that? And who is he, really? Where does he come from? Read on and find out . . .
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This story takes place during Eclipse, right after the fight with the newborns. That's about all it has in common with the original storyline. Not much is known about Embry Call, and so I invented a life for him. In writing my first story, "Full Moon," I had a lot of fun putting words in Embry's mouth. It made me want to know more about him. Some of the things in this story parallel Full Moon, but just some. Please review and let me know what you think!_

CHAPTER 1

Embry POV:

Being a werewolf was actually pretty cool – most of the time. But lately, I was exhausted, and I never had time for any of the babes I was chasing! I let out a huge yawn and stretched. I looked around the back yard at the rest of the pack. It's amazing how similar we all looked: tall, buff, short cropped black hair. I still wore mine a little longer than everyone else. I loved being the rebel. There were now eight of us all together. Seven guys and one girl. That one girl freaked everyone out. There had never been a female werewolf before Leah. Everyone looked just as tired as I felt. We had just taken out a shitload of newborn vampires a few days ago, and we were still running patrols in case there were more around. Killing vampires – now that was the coolest part of being a werewolf. And the whole reason we existed.

Our Alpha and fearless leader, Sam Uley, went on, "We are going to continue patrolling around the clock for awhile to make sure all of these fucking bloodsuckers are gone. Embry and Quil, you take the outside perimeter, Jared and Leah, you take the inside. I'll send teams to relieve you in four hours. Go!"

_Are you shitting me? Man, I'm so tired now! When do I get a fucking break?_ But, an Alpha's orders cannot be ignored, so Quil, Jared and I got up and trotted off toward the woods. Leah, went off on her own to undress and phase. I guess she was still a little shy. Us guys had gotten used to the naked part. Didn't make any difference to us. We took off our shoes and left them in the small wooden box that Sam had built for us to do that. Shoes were too expensive to keep buying when you blew them apart by phasing on the fly. We stripped our shorts off and tied them to our ankles with the cord we kept there for just that purpose.

"Come on, let's get this over with. I'm beat!" I told Quil. We took off and phased into our wolf bodies on the run. _I'll never stop being amazed at how that feels._ I loved running through the woods, flying at speeds I could only imagine before I became a wolf. It was such a rush! To feel so strong. I would enjoy it more if I weren't so tired.

We ran the patrol route around the reservation and found nothing out of the ordinary. No vampires. At least not ones we could kill. We ran down the treaty line and picked up a couple of the Cullens, who were also patrolling for any newborns. They stayed on their side of the line, and we stayed on ours. Many years ago, our ancestors made a treaty with the Cullens, the bloodsucker family that lived here. We wouldn't kill them as long as they didn't bite into any humans. The Cullens were different. They lived on animal blood, not human. They still freaked me out, but we had fought side by side against the newborn gang of vampires that came here, and they kicked some serious ass! So, they were OK with me, but I didn't really want to be pals with them or anything.

Sam and Paul showed up to relieve us. _Bout time! _We gave Sam our report and took off.

Quil and I headed home for some long overdue sleep. We stopped by Sam's backyard to pick up our shoes then phased into human form, pulled on our shorts and climbed into my old beater to drive to Quil's. Since it was still the middle of the night, I was heading home with Quil to crash. It was so much easier for Quil because his parents knew our secret. Qui Atera was like tribe royalty, just like Sam and my best friend Jacob Black. My mom didn't know, so I got pretty sick of her ragging on me for being out all hours of the night, and sleeping all day. My grades weren't the best, either. It was hard to keep up when you were exhausted all the time. I was trying hard just to finish the 11th grade.

We got to Quil's and I walked directly over to the couch and crashed. "Oh man, I can't remember ever being so damn tired," I said to Quil.

He threw me a pillow and said, "Yea, me either. Night, dude," Quil said as he headed to his room.

"Night." I was exhausted. I tried to get comfortable, but it wasn't easy to fold my huge body onto such a small couch. I closed my eyes and, even though I was completely exhausted, as usual, I laid there and let my mind wonder yet again who my dad was. I never knew him. My mom moved to this reservation when she was pregnant with me. It had always been just her and me. Every night for as long as I can remember, I always thought about my dad before I went to sleep. When I was a kid, I used to talk to him. I'd tell him about what happened that day at school, or how I wished he was here to take me fishing, or play ball in the backyard. As I got older, I just wondered who the hell he was. I finally got up enough guts to go to my mom when I was 11 to ask her to tell me his name.

"_Why do you need to know? Aren't I enough for you, Embry Call? Don't I give you food to eat, and a house to live in?" she had said angrily._

"_Yea, Mom. But I just need to know who he is. I want to know who I come from. Please, Mom?" _

"_I can't Embry. Don't you get it? Don't ask me again!" she screamed at me._

At first, I was scared to ask again. Then, later, I was too pissed. I figured maybe she couldn't tell me cause she didn't know. _Bastard._ It was an ugly word, but it's what I was. I was used to it by now.

"_Good night, Dad – whoever you are." _I finally let exhaustion take me into a deep sleep.

"Hey, wake up," Quil said as he smacked my arm. "Come on, Em."

"Mmmmm, come on, just a little longer, mmkay?" I rolled over and hid my face in the back of the couch.

Just then my stomach growled. _Man, when was the last time I ate? _I couldn't remember, so it had been way too long. Another thing about being a werewolf, you're always hungry. I rolled over and sat up. I ran my hands over my hair and decided I had to pee. I got up and went to the bathroom then decided to jump in the shower to help me wake up. I stripped my shorts off and climbed into the shower and let the water run over me. I needed to go home and get some clean clothes. Mom would be at work by now, so I wouldn't have to see the shame and disappointment in her eyes when she looked at me coming in the door after being out all night. Things would be easier if I could just tell her what I was. But I couldn't. Werewolf rules: We couldn't tell anyone.

I finished my shower and pulled my clothes back on. I brushed my teeth with the toothbrush I kept here. I walked out of the bathroom and found Quil rummaging in the kitchen for food. He found a box of Pop-Tarts and took out a pack. "Hey, got one of those for me?" I asked.

"Sure," he answered as he tossed one to me. I opened the pack and bit the first one in half. "Sorry – this is all we got. Maybe we should head over to Emily's for real food," he said with a smile.

I nodded and we took off. I had an old beat up truck that I had pieced together with parts from the junk yard. Jake had mad mechanic skills, so he helped. Jake and I knew this old guy who ran a garage. He told me I could have this old truck if I could get it running. I never walk away from a challenge. So, I worked on it, with Jake's help, and now it was mine. Quil and I jumped into the truck and headed to Sam and Emily's.

We found Seth Clearwater, Leah's brother, on the way, so he hopped in the back of the truck and rode with us. We pulled up to Sam and Emily's, got out and walked in the open front door. This was kind our pack hangout, so the door was usually open.

"Hey boys!" Emily called out as we walked in. "I know, you're hungry. Sit down. I am just taking some blueberry muffins out of the oven." We sat down at the table and waited.

Emily was Sam's fiancé. She was always in the kitchen, baking or cooking. She loved to mother all of us, and we certainly didn't mind. She recently found out that she was pregnant! Now she would be a mom for real. I was happy for her and Sam. They loved each other so much – so much that it gagged all of us really. Especially since when we were in wolf form we could hear each other's thoughts – all of them! Sam got a little x-rated sometimes and it was hard to be around Emily at first. But he was doing better screening his thoughts, and we all kind of got used to it. All of us that is except for Leah.

She was crushed when Sam imprinted on Emily. Leah and Sam had been high school sweethearts, until he met Leah's cousin, Emily. He imprinted on Emily instantly and that was that. Imprinting is another werewolf thing. It's our way of choosing a mate for life, or some shit like that. We all keep hoping that Leah will get over it. No one wants to patrol with her. Her thoughts are poisonous. She was filled with so much hurt and rage. It was painful to be around her. She never came over here to hang out like we did. She only showed up when she had to.

Emily brought a basket of muffins over and put them on the table. "Dig in, but save some for Sam!"

Just as I was biting into my first muffin, Jake walked in . . . with Bella Swan! _What was she doing here with him? I thought she had decided to become a bloodsucker like her sick boyfriend?_ Bella was engaged to Edward Cullen, the bloodsucker. It killed Jacob because he had been in love with her for like, well forever.

"Hey guys!" Jake called out. "Hey, Emily, is Sam here? I really need to talk to him."

"Yea, he's out back. Here! Take a muffin for you and Sam before your brothers eat them all," she said as she tossed a couple of muffins to Jake.

"Thanks," he called out as he headed down the hall.

"Hey, Bella," Seth said. "Want a muffin?" He held one out to her.

"Yea, sure. Thanks," she said quietly. Seth pushed a chair out for her beside him and she sat down.

"What's up, Bella? What are doing here with Jake? Where's your bloodsucker?" Quil asked. Quil didn't trust Bella. She ran with the Cullens. To him a bloodsucker was a bloodsucker, no matter whose blood they drank. Bella looked at Quil and said, "I'm not with Edward anymore. I just couldn't . . . um, I didn't want to . . ." her voice faded as she looked down at her muffin.

"It's OK, Bella. You don't have to talk about it," Seth said. He was really close to Jake and Bella. He even struck up a strange friendship with Bella's vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen. He wasn't popular for that decision.

"Oh quit being such a suck-up, Seth! Let her talk," Quil said angrily.

Seth shot him a look.

"It's OK, Seth," Bella said as she put her hand on his arm. "Look, Quil. I'm with Jake now. I know it doesn't make sense to you, but I have loved Jake for a long time. I just didn't realize how much until, well, until he got hurt during the fight. I spent a lot of time thinking recently and I realized that I can't be . . . a part of that world. I gave Edward his ring back. I love Jake, and I won't live without him. That's it. I'm not going to change my mind," she finished.

"Hmph," Quil snorted.

Jake got hurt pretty bad in the big fight we had just had with the newborn vampires. We had taken out around 20 vampires that day. It was fucking awesome actually! Jake had the whole right side of his body crushed in that fight. Even though we heal very fast, he was just now walking again.

I stood up and went over to Bella. I knew how much Jake had always loved her. Since they were kids. Their dads were best friends, and so Jake and Bella had known each other a long time. I pulled her up out of her chair and picked her up into a big bear hug. "It's about fucking time, Bella! So you decided you like a little fur with your fang, huh?"

Bella laughed. "God, Embry, that's awful!" I laughed too and picked her up and twirled her around then set her down.

Jake came back into the kitchen. I still had my arms around Bella.

"What the hell, Embry? I leave the room for one minute and you're trying to steal my woman?" Jake shouted with a smile.

"Hey, bro. We all know who the ladies prefer," I said back to him.

Bella shoved me and walked over to Jake. He put his arm around her. "I just told them that I was with you now. I guess Embry was showing his approval," Bella explained.

"You guys might as well know, I imprinted this morning. On Bella," he said as he looked at her with a smile. He pulled her closer to him.

"What? Why now?" Quil asked. "I mean, Sam and I imprinted the first time we saw our girls, and Jared right after he phased for the first time."

"Yea, I don't know and I don't care. All I know is that it happened. FINALLY!" Jake said. "Sam thinks it might have something to do with me being the true Alpha, or whatever. Because the first Alpha got to choose his mate."

"So does that mean you're gonna be Alpha now?" Quil asked.

"No, not yet," Jake said quietly. That was a touchy subject with Jake. He really didn't embrace the whole werewolf thing like the rest of us did.

Sam walked in and went over to Emily. He pulled her close and kissed her. "So, Jake tell you the news?"

Emily nodded. "He just did." Emily walked over to Bella and hugged her. She pulled back and said, "I'm so glad you'll be a wolf girl instead of a vampire girl!"

"Thanks, Emily," Bella replied.

"God, I need to find me a woman. You guys are all making me sick!" I shouted.

They all laughed.

"Yea, well, just for that, you are patrolling with Leah tonight," Sam said. "Paul and Jared need a break, man."

"Me and my big mouth," I muttered. "Yea, sure. OK. What time?"

"Six o'clock," he answered.

"You know, you're really killing my love life," I whined.

"Suck it up, Embry. We all have to make sacrifices," Sam said sternly.

"Yea, yea. I get it." I went over to the table and picked up another muffin. "Come on, bro. I'm heading out," I said to Quil. He nodded and stood up. "Thanks for the breakfast, Em," I said.

"Sure, Embry. Be good!" she said with a smile.

"Later, dudes," I said as I walked out the front door. Quil followed.

We got in the truck and I drove him to his house. He got out and I headed for home. I pulled up to our little house on the edge of LaPush. It was pretty small, and kind of dumpy. Mom made just enough at her job at a factory in Forks to keep us living here. I wanted to get a job, but what job can you get when you never get enough sleep and have to leave at a moment's notice to kill a vampire? Besides, my mom insisted that I finish school. She really wanted me to graduate. Maybe I could find something for the summer as soon as school was out. That was only another couple of weeks.

I went in and plopped down on the couch. Man, I was still beat. I could use a nap. Good thing it was Sunday. I laid back on the couch and was out in no time.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

"_Come on, Leah! Just this once, can you please lighten up?"_ I begged. We were out on patrol and Leah was more snarly that usual. She had just found out that Emily was pregnant a few days ago, and she wasn't taking it well.

"_I'm so sorry, Embry. I don't mean to bum you out. I know your life is so tough – having to give up a date with Bambi or Tiffany or whatever the new bimbo-of-the-week's name is, just to patrol with bitchy me. God, how awful!" _Her sarcasm was cutting.

"_It was Mandy, actually, and she's kind of smart for a bimbo. She can spell her name and everything. Come on, Leah, work with me here." _I really did hate seeing her so upset all of the time. The other guys just hated it and in turn hated to be with her. I really felt bad for her. I wished I could take some of that hurt away. I knew what it was like to have a hole in you that no one could seem to fill.

"_Yea, I know Embry. I know you're trying to help. I'll try to focus on something else for awhile. So, why don't you tell me about your bim . . . uh, Mandy?"_

"_Yea. Well, yesterday I took her to the beach. We walked and I tried to get to know her a little better, you know? We have the same Math class, but I don't really know her that well. She told me about moving here when she was a freshman. I guess she used to live on another reservation east of here. She's actually related to Quil, somehow, I think."_

"_Did you talk her to death, or did you show her some of your 'Embry Magic?' "_

I huffed at her. _"Please. Of course we made out. Who can resist me?"_

"_Uh, hello? I'm right here."_

"_OK, besides you."_

Leah took off at a run and I followed. Leah loved that she was the fasted one of all of us. I think it helped her a little to know she was special in some way. We finished the rest of our patrol, and Jared and Paul came to relieve us.

"_Nothing?"_ Jared wanted to know.

"_Pretty quiet out here," _I answered.

"_Damn!" _Paul was always itching for a fight.

Leah had run off to phase back and put some clothes on. It was a lot harder for her, seeing she had more to cover than we did. I phased and slid my shorts back on. I walked toward where she had gone. "Leah? You still here?"

"Yes! Give me a minute, will you?" she shouted back at me from behind some bushes.

I waited and she walked out wearing some gym shorts and a tank top. "You want a ride home? The truck is parked at the beach," I asked.

"Sure, I guess. I'll race ya!" She hollered over her shoulder as she took off toward the beach. I laughed and followed. I knew she'd whip my ass, and I was tired, so I didn't try as hard.

I met up with her at the beach and she looked at me and said, "Ha! Beat your ass!" Then she smiled.

"You know, Leah," I panted, "you really have a beautiful smile. You should do it more often."

She stopped smiling and turned and looked toward the water. "Hey," I said as I walked over to her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. It was just an observation, you know? You really are pretty, Leah."

She looked over at me and said, "Thanks." She just stood there looking out at the water. The old Leah was taking over. Her shoulders slumped a little and I could see the mask slipping into place.

"Look, I'm not good at this, Leah. You know me, I'm too cocky for my own good. I shoot my mouth off . . ."

"Shut up, Embry, OK? Just stop." She wrapped her arms around her and looked back out at the water. She closed her eyes. I could feel she was trying hard to hold herself together.

"Whatever." I turned to go then stopped. _Shit!_ For some reason, I couldn't leave her like that. "Um, you know, I'm not in any hurry to get home. I mean, my mom will just try to ground me again or something. I can stick around if you want me to," I offered. I wasn't sure what I would be getting myself into, but I hated to see her like this. She had been this way for too long.

She looked over at me. She studied my face for a second, I guess to see if I really meant it, or if I was just feeling sorry for her. At the moment, I wasn't really sure which it was myself. Maybe a little of both.

She nodded and started to walk down the beach. I took that as an invitation. We walked in silence down the beach. I had absolutely no idea what to say, so I just waited to see if she would talk.

"So . . . what did you do to get stuck patrolling with me? Did you piss Sam off or something?" Leah asked me.

"What? Why would you ask that?" I replied.

"Well, everyone hates patrolling with me. It's not like anyone volunteers for the job. Except Seth, and he just does it cause I'm his sister and he feels sorry for me. Not even Jake volunteers anymore."

"Sam asked me to, so I did. That's the whole story," I told her.

She snorted. "OK, whatever." We walked a little further. She crossed her arms in front of her as walked then she said, "I don't like being a bitch, you know. I hate it in fact. I was just starting to feel a little better then hearing that Emily is pregnant . . . was really hard. I mean, it's not like I didn't expect it. It's not like they can keep their hands off each other! You know how hard it is . . . to be around Sam and see his thoughts . . ." she stopped suddenly and turned to look at me. "God! I am so sick and tired of feeling like shit, Embry! I feel like a piece of garbage just thrown out! He used to look at ME and tell ME what a beautiful smile I had! ME! He used to hold ME and kiss ME! He was supposed to marry ME and have babies." The tears were falling fast now. She sank down to sit in the sand. She put her head in her hands and cried hard. "I can't take it anymore. I wish I could leave. Get the hell away from here. But, of course, I had to turn into a fucking werewolf and be bound to this place FOREVER!"

I was a little out of my element here. I wasn't sure what to do! _Shit! _I sat down beside her and pulled her into my arms. She actually allowed me to hold her. She put her head on my shoulder and cried. I just sat there and held her, and wondered, "_How did I get myself into this?"_

She finally pulled her head off of my shoulder and wiped her face with her hand. "God, Embry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that."

I pulled off my t-shirt and handed it to her. "Here, it's wet already. You might as well use it to clean up."

She used my t-shirt to wipe her face then she gave me a small smile.

I looked at her and smiled. "It's OK."

"Look, I know that I have to move on. Sam certainly has. And I know that he didn't mean to fall in love with her. I mean, this fucking imprinting thing is so . . . awful." She looked out at the water again.

I could almost feel the pain she was in. It was that intense.

"Leah, I know it's not the same thing, but, I kind of understand what you're feeling. It's like . . . you have a hole inside of you, that only one person can fill. And you can't have that person, so the hole is just there and it aches, all the time."

She looked at me with squinted eyes and said, "Yea, something like that. How would you know?"

I hung my head for a minute and gave a big sigh. "I feel like that because . . . of not knowing who my father is." I looked out at the water. "And it kills me, Leah. I need to know where I come from, you know? Especially since this werewolf thing happened. You know how hard it is to be around these guys and have them wonder if I'm their bastard brother?"

"Wow, Embry. I'm sorry," she said softly.

"Yea, well. I asked her once. When I was 11. I got up the guts to ask my mom who my father was. She screamed at me that she couldn't tell me, and not to ask her again. I was too scared then to talk about it again. But now I just wonder if she even knows who my father is," I said angrily. I looked at her and said, "It's hard being a bastard, Leah. It's really hard sometimes."

Leah looked at me. "Embry, I had no idea. Even when we are patrolling, you never let on that it hurts you this much. I am so sorry."

She gave me a small smile and pushed the hair on my forehead away from my eyes. She really was more than pretty. Especially when she smiled. I found myself staring at her, looking into her eyes. I pulled my eyes away and looked out at the water.

"Embry, I know it's hard to think about Billy or Quil Sr. doing that . . . I mean they had good marriages, and . . ."

"Yea, I know, Leah! For me to exist, one of my best friends has to suffer with the idea that their fathers aren't who you thought they were. Another great thing about being a bastard."

"God, Embry, quit calling yourself that. I hate that word!" she yelled at me.

"It's what I am!" I gave a harsh laugh and said, "Although Sam doesn't mind. His dad wasn't much of a dad anyway, I guess. So who knows? Maybe it was him?" I picked up a rock and heaved it. I heard it plunk into the water. _OK, enough of this. Time to change the subject. _"Hey, speaking of imprinting," I said quickly.

"Were we?" she asked.

I went on, "Did you hear about Jake and Bella? They were at Sam's earlier today. Jake imprinted on Bella!" I told her.

"What?" She looked at me her eyes big with surprise. "Are you serious?"

"Yea! She told her fucking leech of a boyfriend to take a hike. She broke up with him. Can you believe that? She says that she's with Jake now. She loves him and wants to be with him. It's hard to believe, but I'm really happy for Jake, you know? He's my best friend, and I have had to hear him whine about how much he loves Bella for YEARS! I guess I'm glad his dream is finally coming true." I looked over at Leah. _Great job. "His dream is coming true." Yea, just what she wanted to hear._

"God, Leah, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that," I said quickly.

She looked at me and smiled. "No, it's fine. I'm glad for him, too. Although, I don't think I want to patrol with him for awhile."

"Geez, me neither. Just seeing some of the fantasies he's had in his head about her . . . I think they will be worse than Sam and Jared put together!" I gave a short laugh.

"Stop! I think I just threw up in my mouth," Leah said with a laugh.

"How bout I tell Sam to let us patrol together for awhile? Neither one of will have to put up with it then," I suggested.

She looked over at me with a quizzical look. "Yea, thanks, Embry. I think that's a good idea."

It got quiet again. I looked out at the water and said, "Sam, Jared, Quil and now Jake. Wonder who will imprint next." I looked over at Leah and said with a smile, "God, I hope it's not me! I know there are still plenty of hot girls at school that I haven't made out with yet!"

That did it. She finally let go and laughed. She shoved me and said, "I have a hard time believing that." I looked at her and laughed. She sighed and stood up. "I better get home. Mom worries until both Seth and I come back." She turned to make her way back down the beach.

I jumped up and joined her. We walked in silence to my truck. I walked ahead and opened the door for her. She smiled and said quietly, "Thanks."

I got into the driver's seat and took off for the Clearwater's house. "Embry?" Leah said as we drove down the road.

"Yea?"

"Thank you for talking to me tonight. And for telling me about . . . how you feel. I think it kind of helped."

I smiled at her. "Well, I am so glad that the horrible pain I bear made you feel so much better."

She shoved me and said, "You know that's not what I meant. I mean, it just helps to know that there is someone who understands a little how I feel."

"Yea, I know." I looked over at her and added, " Me too."

I pulled up to her house and she opened the door to get out. She turned and said, "Take it easy on those girls at school, Embry. You need to pace yourself!"

I laughed! "Yea, OK, Leah. Too many girls, not enough time!"

She closed the door and walked toward the door. I sat there and watched until she closed the front door behind her. _Man! What a night this turned out to be! Why did I tell her all that stuff? _I shook my head and threw the truck in drive. I needed some sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Leah POV:

I closed the front door and leaned back onto it. _What a weird night! _I never imagined that Embry would be the one I could relate to. He was the cocky one with the big mouth. Always bragging about how many girls he's made out with. I never realized how much pain he hid inside. _Bastard. That was such an ugly word._

I walked into the living room and heard Mom in the kitchen. She was unloading the dishwasher. Probably trying to keep busy until I got home.

I walked into the kitchen and said, "Hey, Mom."

She turned around with a start! "Oh Leah! I didn't hear you come in. You scared me!"

"Sorry, Mom. Need some help?" I offered.

"No, I'm just finishing up. Are you hungry, honey? I saved some dinner for you. There's a plate of leftovers in the fridge."

I was ALWAYS hungry. Werewolf thing. But the great thing was, I could eat a lot and I never got fat! I was always running it off. "Yes, I am hungry, thanks," I said as I took the plate out of the fridge. I uncovered it and stuck it in the microwave. _Pot roast and potatoes. Yum!_

I took the plate out of the microwave and sat down at the table to eat. "Mom? Do you know anything about Embry's parents?"

She looked over her shoulder at me and said, "Um, not much. Why?"

I took a bite of food and chewed. "Embry and I patrolled together tonight, and we did some talking after," I said slowly. "I didn't realize how much pain he's in not knowing who his dad is."

Mom walked over and sat down across from me at the table. "I remember his mom came to live here when she was pregnant with him. She was pretty young and she kept to herself. She had Embry and got a job at a factory. That's about all I know. We would see her at school functions sometimes, if she could get off of work, but she doesn't mix with people much."

I kept eating, but I felt like Mom was holding something back. "You never heard any of the rumors about who his dad might be? I mean, now that he's a member of the pack?"

"Well, people talk, Leah. It doesn't mean anything. Your dad was an elder at the time Embry phased, and believe me, it blew everyone away! But, if he knew who Embry's dad was, he never told me. Everyone's been pretty quiet on that."

I finished my dinner and Mom picked up my plate and took it to the sink. "Mom? Do you think it could be Billy Black? Or Quil's dad? They were both married . . . I mean, I'm not dumb. I know that men have affairs, but . . ."

She turned back toward me and said, "I don't know. I don't want to think so. Sarah Black was a good friend of mine, and if it was Billy, I think she would have suspected something. They had a very good marriage, and when she died . . . well, Billy was pretty shook up. As for Quil's parents, well, I don't know."

"What about Sam's dad? No one every talks about him much."

"That's because he wasn't much of a father. He left Sam and his mom when Sam was a little boy. Just up and left one day and never looked back. As far as I know, no one knows where he is or if he's even still alive." Mom wiped her hands on a dish towel and said, "Well, I'm tired, honey. Your brother's already in bed, and I'm going up. See you in the morning." She leaned over and kissed me on the head then went upstairs.

I sat there at the table thinking. There had to be some way to find out for sure who Embry's dad was. A plan was taking shape in my head. I wasn't sure if I could get the guys to go along with it, but I was going to try, for Embry. In all this time, he's the only one that had looked past my shitty attitude and tried to help. I owed him a favor.

Embry POV:

I dragged my ass out of bed and walked out of the closet that was my bedroom and used the bathroom. I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth and hair and went back into my room to get dressed. I was still beat, but had to get to school. Only two more weeks, then off for the summer. _Thank God!_

I threw on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, put on my shoes and grabbed my book bag. I went to the kitchen and grabbed two packs of Pop-Tarts and an apple and walked out to my truck. I drove over to Quil's to pick him up for school. I used to pick up Jake, too, but he wasn't going much lately.

I honked the horn and Quil came out. I had finished the Pop-Tarts and was working on the apple when he jumped in the truck. "Hey," he said. He looked beat, too. Running all of the these patrols was exhausting.

"What's up?" I said. I put the truck in drive and headed to school.

"Can you drop me at Claire's after school? I told her mom I'd watch her tonight." Quil said.

"Yea, sure." Another night babysitting. Poor guy. He didn't seem to mind. He loved being with her. It was a little creepy him being imprinted on a toddler, but he was handling it really well. Right now, he was a great big brother to her. I wondered what it would be like when she got older and how weird it would be for them. I would ask him, but he didn't like to talk about it.

We pulled into the parking lot and I stopped the truck. We gathered our stuff and made our way into the building. I went to my locker and from behind I heard, "Hey Embry!"

I turned around to see Mandy standing there. She was short and petite, with shoulder-length black hair. She was wearing a short skirt and a plaid blouse that I noticed had one too many buttons left open at the neck. I liked that.

"Hey, Baby. What's up?" I said smoothly.

"Not much. Wanna walk me to my first class?" she said with a smile.

"Sure," I said as I closed my locker. I reached down and took her hand and we walked down the hall. It was easy for me to be with girls. I'm not sure why. I never had to stammer or stutter like Quil used to. Even Jake. Well, he was never interested in any other girls but Bella, so I guess he didn't count.

I walked her to the classroom then bent down and put a kiss on her lips. I smiled at her and said, "See you at lunch."

She giggled. What was about girls that they always giggled? She turned and went into the classroom. I went on to my first class just as the bell rang.

I sat down and pulled out a notebook trying hard to remember if I had any homework to turn in. I guess it didn't matter because I don't remember doing any homework! I really was going to have to try harder. This is the one thing I promised my mom – that I would finish high school. Maybe I should get a tutor. Yea, some hot smart girl. That could be cool. Like we would really study . . .

"Mr. Call? Do you have the answer?"

_Shit! _"Um, George Washington?" I answered with a smile. Everyone laughed. _OK, wrong answer._

"Mr. Call, please try to pay attention. Turn to page 125 in your book, and maybe you will catch up to what we are talking about," Mr. Grey said. _Yea, maybe, but I doubt it._

The rest of my classes were pretty much the same. Lunch was good. Mandy came and sat with Quil and me, and Seth joined us too. He was just a freshman, so we picked on him a bit, but you couldn't help but love the kid. He was just so good-natured.

Before lunch was over, I took Mandy to my favorite make-out spot at school. There was a corner by the gym that was pretty secluded. I had enjoyed many a make-out session there over the years. I kissed her and ran my hands up and down her body and back. She wasn't quite as fast as some of the other girls I had made out with. She would catch my hands every now and then and keep them from going where they shouldn't. I kind of liked that about her. She was a challenge!

I finished the school day, said good-bye to Mandy with a promise to call her later, then took Quil to Claire's. I pulled away and thought, _"now what am I going to do?" _I had talked to Sam, and he had put Leah and I on the late night patrol, so I didn't really have much to do right now. Jake was always with Bella now, so without him and Quil, I was kind of lost.

I drove through town on my way home, and I saw Leah walking along the sidewalk. I honked and waved at her then pulled over to the sidewalk. She walked up to the truck and leaned in the window. "What's up?" she asked.

"Not much. Just got out of school and dropped Quil off to babysit Claire. What are you doing?"

"I was at the library, doing a little research," she said.

"Research? On what?" I asked.

"Um, do you have some time right now? I could tell you," she said with a small smile.

My curiosity was peaked. "Yea, I'm free. Hop in!" She opened the door and climbed in. "Where to?" I asked.

"I don't care. Just somewhere we can talk. Maybe the beach?" she suggested.

I nodded and turned the truck down the road that would take us to the beach. "So, you're done with school. What do you do all day?" I always wondered about that.

"Well, I help take care of the house. My mom's a nurse you know, so she works twelve-hour shifts. I get groceries, and cook dinner and I keep track of my brother, and I . . . take some online college courses," she finished shyly.

"Really? That's cool. What kind of classes?" I asked.

"Right now, a psychology class and an English Comp. class."

"Wow. Psychology, huh. Isn't that kind of boring?" It sounded boring to me!

She laughed. "Yea, I could see how you might think that. But it is really very interesting."

I pulled into the parking lot at the beach. We jumped out of the truck and walked down to the beach. I noticed that she had this bag hanging over her shoulder, across her body. It was kind of big to be a purse. But what did I know about purses?

We walked down the beach a little and I said, "So? What did you want to tell me about? What kind of research have you been doing?"

She stopped and said, "Let's sit down first." She walked over to a huge dead log that was laying on the beach and sat down. I walked over and sat down beside her. She pulled the bag over her head and put it on her lap then she looked over at me. "Don't get mad, OK?"

I looked at her and laughed. "Why would I be mad? You haven't said anything yet!"

"I know. But, I took the liberty of looking into something for you, and I'm not sure you want me meddling in your business," she answered.

"Leah, what are you talking about?" She was starting to worry me a little.

"I was awake for a long time last night thinking about our talk. I really appreciated you opening up to me like that, Embry. For the first time in a very long time, I fell asleep not feeling sorry for myself! I decided that I owed you a favor. Soooo . . . " she hesitated then pulled some papers out of her bag. "I went to the library to do some research on the internet about DNA testing."

"DNA testing . . . Leah? Are you talking about trying to help me find out who my father is?" I asked.

"Yes, and really it's very simple. All it involves . . ."

I stood up and walked a few steps away. My hands curled into fists. _Why did I open my mouth last night? I was trying to help and look what I've started!_

She came up behind me, "Embry, I'm sorry. I should have asked first, but I was afraid you would react this way. Look, the test is not that big of a deal. Don't you want to know? Isn't that what you told me last night?"

I turned and looked down at her. "Hell yes I want to know! But how can I ask these guys to take some test to see if I'm their kid? When I phased, they had to know that I belonged to one of them. Hell, they probably already know which one and they won't say. No one wants to claim me, Leah. If they did, they would have come forward by now."

"Oh Embry, I'm not talking about asking them to take the test. I thought we could ask Jake, Sam and Quil. A DNA test would show if you were a brother to them. I know they would do it, Embry. All we have to do is ask."

I turned to look out at the water. She was right. I knew they would do it. They already felt like brothers. We would do anything for each other. I turned and asked, "But who would do the tests? It's probably really expensive."

"I was going to ask my mom about that. She works at the hospital. I figured she could help. All you have to do is put a cotton swab in your mouth and get some spit on it. They analyze it and tell you if it is possible for you to be related," she answered. "Listen, Embry. Just think about it, OK? Take these with you and read them. It's only a few pages. Even if you think your dad doesn't want to claim you, which I think is stupid, you have a right to know."

I smiled at her. "You did this for me? Why, Leah? You don't really owe me any favor for last night."

"Yes, I do. I don't think you realize it, but you are the first one who ever took the time to listen to me, Embry. I know they all think I'm just a bitch. But you looked past that and let me talk. And I really appreciate that. Last night, for the first time, that hole inside seemed just a little smaller. I guess I wanted to do something for you that would help you feel the same way."

I was stunned. No one had ever even thought of doing something like this for me. I mean, I loved Quil and Jake and we hung out. And I would die before I would let anyone hurt them. But, this was different. I didn't know how to handle it. "Leah, I don't know what to say. Can you believe that? Me? Not having any kind of smart ass comment?"

She laughed. _She is so pretty when she smiles like that._

I reached out and pulled her in for a hug. "Thanks, Leah," I whispered in her ear. I let her go and said, "OK, enough of this shit. You're going to turn me into a chick," I said gruffly.

"And there he is, Mr. Smart Ass. I missed ya!" she said.

I laughed as I folded the papers she gave me and stuffed them into my pocket. She put the bag back over her head to rest on her shoulder. "Alright, let's walk a little."

We walked down the beach neither of us not really knowing what to talk about. I had never just hung out with Leah before. She usually avoided us like the plague. "So, what do you like to do, you know, for fun?" I asked her.

"I don't know. It's been a long time since I did something just for fun, I guess," she answered.

"Well then, I say it's about time we had some fun. Ever go cliff diving?" I asked.

"No, I leave that to you idiots," she retorted.

"If you've never done it, how do know it isn't any fun? It's a real rush! Come on, don't be a chicken," I said.

"Really? This is what you want to do for fun?" she asked.

"Yep. That's what I want to do. What do you say?"

She looked at me and sighed. "OK. Let's go before I realize how stupid this really is."

I grinned at her and took off down the beach back to the truck. Of course she went whizzing by me and beat me to the truck.

We got in the truck and I took off. I looked over at Leah. We had the windows down as it was unusually warm and sunny for Washington. She closed her eyes and let the wind blow through her hair. She actually looked relaxed for once.

I pulled over and parked the truck. I took off my shirt and shoes and threw them in the truck. Leah looked at me and took off her shoes and threw them in the truck. I raised my eyebrows at her, and she said, "That's all I can take off, you perv!" I just laughed.

We got out and headed down the trail to the cliff. "You sure you won't chicken out?" I asked her.

"Look, I said I would do it, so I will. Even though I think it's stupid," she added.

We got to the cliff edge and Leah looked down. It was a pretty intimidating view. This was a good spot though, where there were no rocks along the shore. She backed up a little and looked at me. "Tell you what," I said, "since this is your first time, we'll go together. And instead of diving, we'll just jump, feet first. OK?"

She nodded. I held out my hand and she looked down at it. Then she looked at me and smiled. She grabbed my hand and held on tight.

"OK, on the count of three, we run and jump. Ready?" She nodded. "One . . . two . . . THREE!" We ran about three steps and then there was nothing under us but air! I looked over at Leah. Her black hair was standing straight up and she was screaming all the way down. She squeezed my hand until our feet hit the water. The water closed over my head and surrounded me. I shot back up to the surface and looked for Leah. A couple of seconds later, her head broke the surface off to my right. She had the biggest grin on her face that I have ever seen!

"OH MY GOD, EMBRY! That was FUCKING AWESOME!" she shouted.

I laughed and met her in the water. "I told you, Miss "_it's so stupid!"_I said in a mocking high girly voice.

She reached out and grabbed my shoulders as we treaded water. "Thank you, Embry. Thank you for making me do that. It was such a rush! I've never felt so free! So alive!"

I put my hands on her waist. I looked into her eyes and her whole face was lit up with her smile. Before I realized what I was doing, I leaned forward and put my lips on hers. It was a soft, gentle kiss. I pulled back and looked at her.

"What the hell, Embry!" Her eyes flashed and she pushed herself away from me and swam for shore. _Shit. Way to go, Embry. What the hell did you do that for?_

I swam hard to try and catch up with her. She was on shore wringing out her hair when I ran up to her. "Leah, I'm so sorry. I don't know why I did that! Don't be pissed, OK?"

She just looked at me then took off running down the beach. I knew I'd never catch her.

"Leah!" I yelled after her. She kept running. _Damnit! _


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Leah POV:

I walked into the house and went straight to my room. I stripped out of my wet clothes and put on some dry ones. Then I sat down on my bed. _What the hell just happened?_ I couldn't believe that I jumped off of a cliff, and what scared me the most was the fact that Embry had kissed me! _Why did he do that? I really didn't see that coming._

I felt that we might become friends, but I never thought about anything more than that. _Did he?_ Had I done something to lead him into thinking I wanted more than that? I had to patrol with him tonight. How was I going to keep from thinking about this?

I put my head in my hands. _How did this happen? What am I going to do?_

Just then I heard the front door slam. "Leah? You here?" It was Seth.

I opened my door and hollered downstairs, "Yea, upstairs!"

It was time for supper, and I had nothing ready. I headed downstairs to the kitchen. Seth was standing there with his head in the fridge. "Hey," I said.

He backed out and asked, "What's for dinner?"

"Um, I don't know. Sorry, I just got home. Let me look."

He moved from the fridge so I could take a look. "So where were you?" he asked.

_Should I tell him? Mom would have a cow if she found out. _I couldn't think of a lie. And besides, I kind of wanted to share my cliff dive with him. I took a pan of leftover lasagna out of the fridge then turned to set it on the counter. I looked at Seth and said, "I went cliff diving."

"Yea, right! Funny, Leah," he said with a laugh.

I just stood there looking at him and smiling.

"No shit? You really jumped?" he asked.

I nodded. "Don't tell Mom, I don't want to freak her out. But, it was such a rush, Seth! All this time I have been ragging on the guys telling them how stupid I thought they were for doing it. I just thought they were showing off, but man, it was so cool! Seth, I can't tell you how free I felt. It was the most awesome feeling in the world."

"No way! I have been begging the guys to take me, and they always tell me I'm too young. It's not fair! Why did they take you?"

"It was just me and Embry. He told me I needed to have some fun, and so we went." _And then he kissed me and I freaked out. Yea, I would never tell him that._

"Will you take me sometime?" he asked. He looked like such a little kid. I smiled.

"Maybe, if you're a good boy," I told him as I tousled his hair. He hated that. I cut some lasagna and put a piece on a plate and stuck it in the microwave. "Dinner will be ready in a couple of minutes, OK?"

Embry POV:

I drove my truck home and walked into my house. My pants had dried pretty much by the time I got home, so I decided not to change. Less laundry to do.

My mom would be home soon. I looked in the fridge, and as usual, there wasn't much there. I was always starving, and there never seemed to be enough food. I hated that I had to eat so much. I knew that Mom couldn't afford to buy more than what she did. I guess that's why I was the scrawniest werewolf. Jake was so big and buff! He made me look like a little kid next to him.

I picked up an apple and took a bite. I sat down on the couch and flicked on the TV. I just stared at the screen. I didn't even know what was on. All I could think about was that kiss. _What the hell was I thinking? _I was always so cool with girls. I never got rattled like this. But, looking at Leah, and seeing how excited she was. I have never seen her like that before, and, I don't know, I just did it.

I turned the TV off, and threw the remote down on the couch. I had finished my apple, so I got up to throw the core away. I stood there for a second and looked out the kitchen window. Suddenly, I remembered the papers that Leah had given me to read. _Oh no, I had put them in my pocket!_ I reached into my back pocket and pulled them out carefully. They were still wet, so I sat down at the kitchen table and opened them very carefully and laid them out to dry. I looked at the first one and started reading.

I heard Mom's car in the driveway. _I can't let her see these!_ I picked them up as carefully as I could and ran back to my room. I laid them on my small dresser as I heard her come through the door. "Embry? You home?"

"Yea, Mom." I left them there and walked out to the kitchen. I smelled food. She had stopped and picked up a bucket of chicken on her way home. _Yes!_

"Hope you don't mind. I'm just too tired to cook. And I knew there wasn't much here at home," she said.

I already had the lid off of the bucket and had pulled out a chicken leg. I bit into and said, "Thanks, Mom."

She smiled at me and said, "I don't know where you put all that food. You're so tall and skinny. Must go to your legs!"

I pulled a couple of plates out of the cupboard and handed her one. We sat down to eat. "So, how was school?" she said as she opened the container of mashed potatoes.

"OK. I met a girl named Mandy. She is in my math class. She said she would tutor me to help me get through the final. If I get a B or better, I think I should get at least a C."

"Mmmm, hmmm. That's good. "

"How's work?" I asked to be polite.

"Alright. Working more overtime. It's exhausting, but I like the money," she answered. I looked at her and noticed how tired she looked. I felt bad she had to work so hard.

"I've been thinking about looking for a summer job," I told her.

"Yea? That's a good idea. Maybe it will keep you out of trouble."

Just then the phone rang. "I'll get it, "I said. "Hello?"

It was Jake. "Hey bro. You doing anything tomorrow after school?"

"Nope. Why?"

"I need some help on a truck I'm working on for this friend of Charlie's. I have another car I'm working on, too, and this guy is in a hurry for the truck. You can keep the money he'll pay for the job. What do you say? You in?" Jake asked.

"Hell, yea! I'll be over right after school." I answered.

"OK. See ya then."

I hung up. "What was that all about?" Mom asked.

"Jake asked me to come over and help him fix a truck he's working on. He said I could keep the money," I told her.

"Sounds good." She picked up her plate and put it in the sink. "I'm beat. I'm going to take a bath and go to bed. Be good, son," she said.

"I will. I'll even do the dishes for you," I said with a smile.

"Wow, that would be great! Thanks." She leaned over and kissed me on the head, then tousled my hair.

She walked back to the bathroom and closed the door. I put the dishes in the sink and squirted dish soap over them then turned on the water. There weren't very many, so it didn't take long to wash and dry them.

I thought maybe I should actually crack a book and do some homework before I had to go out on patrol. I mean, it wouldn't kill me. I went out to the truck to get my book bag. I looked down and saw Leah's shoes and her bag. I grabbed my book bag and went back inside. I found myself really hoping that I hadn't made too much of a mess of things with Leah. I realized that I liked the idea of us being friends.

Leah POV:

I phased and headed to the spot where we would take over on patrol_. _That was one thing I did enjoy about being in wolf form, the absolute freedom of running so fast.

I got to the meeting point, and saw Seth in the clearing. _"Hey, little brother. Anything going on?"_

"_Nope. God, it's so boring and I'm so tired. I'm going home to bed." _Seth took off toward home.

I waited around wondering if Embry would show. Maybe he talked Sam into getting someone else to patrol with me? Quil came running up. _"Hey, is Embry here yet? I actually have some homework I need to finish. I tried to do it at Claire's, but she was pretty fussy tonight. She's not feeling well, and she just wanted me to hold her."_

"_Haven't seen him yet." _

We waited around for a few minutes and then Embry broke through our thoughts. _"Sorry I'm late! I fell asleep doing homework. On my way . . ."_

I felt relieved that he didn't feel weird enough to stay away. But I was also nervous. Embry broke the brush and into the clearing. _"Hey Embry! It's pretty quiet around here tonight. I'm heading home for homework and bed. See ya in the morning." _Quil took off into the night.

It was just us. I nodded and began running through the woods. Embry fell in beside me. I tried hard to focus on the trail, trying hard to pick up some scent. Any scent! I noticed that Embry was trying hard to concentrate on some math that he must have been working on before he fell asleep. I even saw a flash of a girl who I assumed must be Mandy.

"_She is pretty, Embry."_

"_Oh sorry. I was thinking about the math homework I was doing, and Mandy is that class, so . . ."_

"_It's OK. You don't have to apologize. I'm used to seeing girls with you. I wouldn't know it was you if you didn't have a bimbo or two swimming around in there."_

"_Well, I am the ladies' man, you know."_

"_I know you THINK you are."_

Maybe this was going to be OK. If we can just keep things light and not think about that ki . . . _Oh no! Too late!_

I took off and ran faster. _Keep running, Leah, just keep running. Let that wind fly through your fur. Feel the freedom!_

"_Leah I can still hear you no matter how far or how fast you run, you know. We are going to have to deal with the fact that I fucked up and kissed you. I'm sorry! It just happened. Please don't hold it against me the rest of my life, OK? Unless it was bad and you really hated it. But, I can't imagine that. I mean, I KNOW I'm a great kisser. Legendary, actually."_

I laughed to myself. That is the Embry that we all know. I slowed down to a trot and waited for him to catch up. _"Sorry for being an idiot, Embry. You just really caught me off guard! It had nothing to do with it being a bad kiss, because it wasn't. It was actually very nice. And don't let that go to your head."_

He was trotting beside me now. _"Yea, like it could get any bigger, huh? Come on, Leah. Let's put this behind us and finish our patrol, OK? And maybe we can find a way to be friends?"_

"_Yea, I'd like that."_

"_So, I read the papers you gave me and I have been thinking about the tests. It feels kind of wrong, but I can't go on not knowing. I want to ask the guys if they'll take the test. Will you ask your mom?"_

"_Yea, sure! I will talk to her tomorrow and let you know what she says. Then we'll get Jake, Sam and Quil together and ask them. I know this is really hard for you, but I think it would be a lot harder for you to never know."_

"_I guess."_

We ran the rest of the patrol in a sort of eased truce. Of course we found nothing. I was hoping that Sam would cut down on patrols soon. It was pretty boring patrolling and never finding anything.

Sam and Jared showed up to relieve us. Leah even actually greeted Sam this time. She took off at a dead run for home.

"_Everything OK with her?" _Sam wanted to know.

"_Yea, why?"_

"_Well I don't know, she wasn't quite as . . . upset, I guess."_

"_Yea, we talked and I think she finally sees that now that you guys are having a baby, it's time for her to move on."_

"_Really? She talks to you?"_

"_Yea. Why is that so hard to believe? I'm not the idiot everyone thinks I am, you know."_

"_I know that. I just didn't realize that you and Leah were . . . so close."_

"_What is that supposed to mean?"_

"_Nothing, chill, bro!"_

"_I'm out of here." _I turned and took off at a run for home.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Embry POV:

"Hey Jake! You here?" I hollered as I walked into the garage.

"Yea!" Jake said as he stepped out from behind the hood of the car he was working on. "What's up, bro?"

"Just got done making out with a pretty girl, dude. You know, the usual," I answered. I had a quick make out session with Mandy right after school before I left for Jake's.

He laughed. "Hey, for once, I can say, 'Me too!' Bella just left to go to work."

"Geez, I'm glad I missed that. How's that working out for you?" I asked him.

"It's good, Embry, REALLY good." Jake raised his eyebrows up and down.

"OK, spare me the details, dude. Where's this truck that needs work."

"Over here." Jake gave me the lowdown on what needed to be fixed on the truck. I grabbed some tools and went to work. "Hey Jake! Crank some tunes, will ya?"

Jacob turned on the old boom box we kept in the garage and music blared. I really loved working in the garage. I liked being able to get my hands on something and fix it. Jake and I had been working in the garage since we were kids. We started on bicycles then moved up to a dirt bike. Then Jake got the VW Rabbit. We had an old guy named Mr. Collins that would help us out with parts and show us how to fix things when we got stuck. He's the one that gave me my truck. We worked on it for months before it even ran.

"Hey Embry!" I heard someone shout over the music. I pulled my head out from under the hood of the truck and saw Leah standing there. _What the hell is she doing here? She has never been in the garage – ever! _

"Leah? What the hell are you doing here?" I shouted. She had her hair in one long braid down her back and she was wearing her usual tank top and shorts.

She walked over to the boom box and turned the music off. "There. Hi Embry, how ya doin?" she said.

"I'm good. What are doing here?" I asked again.

"Leah? Is something wrong?" Jake asked as he walked into the garage.

"Nothing's wrong! Geez, can't I just stop by and talk to a couple of my buddies?" she asked.

Jake and I looked at each other then Jake said, "Buddies? Did she really just use the word, 'buddies?' " We both laughed while Leah rolled her eyes. "OK, fine! I came here to talk to Embry about something."

Jake looked at Leah then he looked at me. He had this quizzical look on his face. "Oooooo Kaaaaaay," he said. "I guess I'll go back to work."

"No, wait, Jake!" Leah said. "This kind of involves you, too." I looked over at her. _The DNA testing. I hadn't even asked Jake yet!_

"Leah, I haven't . . ."

"I know, Embry. But he's your best friend, and you know your're going to tell him anyway. Is it OK if he stays?

I sighed then nodded.

"I talked to mom today, and she said that she would definitely help us. She has a friend at the hospital who will run the tests for free, we only have to pay for the test kits. And, my mom told me that she would take care of that. She feels like the elders owe this to you, Embry. "

I started to say something, but she held up her hand and went on, "Look, she's right. She said she won't say anything to anyone, and they will do the test by numbers, not names. So no one has to know anything but you."

I nodded. _Wow. I could really find out who my father is. _

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jacob asked Leah.

She looked at me. I cleared my throat and said, "Leah is helping me to find out who my father is."

"What? Why?" Jake asked.

"Because he needs to know Jake! Everyone has the right to know where they come from, don't you think? Except no one will tell him. Not his mom, not the elders. It's not right! We have a simple easy way to find out, and no one will know. I think it's the right thing to do." Leah explained.

"Look, Jake. I don't want to rip any families apart here, OK? If this works and I find out who my father is, I don't know that I will even tell him. If he hasn't wanted to come forward and claim me by now, I don't think he will just because I find out."

Jake turned away from us and ran his hands through his hair. I looked over at Leah. She nodded her head toward Jake, indicating I should talk to him. I rolled my eyes and walked over to Jake. I put my hand on his shoulder, "Listen, Jake. I already think of you as my brother, dude, you know that. But if for some reason Billy turns out to be my dad, which I don't think he will, I would never say anything to him unless I got your OK. You get that, right?"

Jake looked at me and said, "Yea, I know. I think of you as a brother, too. I don't need any test for that. But if you want to do this, then, I'll support you." He reached over and pulled me into a "bro" hug. He let go and asked Leah, "So how does this work?"

"Well . . ."

Just then Quil walked in. "Hey! Leah told me to meet you guys here. What's up?"

I looked at Leah. She smiled at me and shrugged her shoulders. I guess she was planning on me saying yes.

"Jake? Can you call Sam and ask him to come over here right away? Tell him its pack business, or something. I want to talk to everyone all at once," Leah said to him.

Jake nodded. He ran into the house to use the phone.

Quil looked at us and said, "What's going on? Why do we need Sam? This bloodsucker business?"

"Um, no. Pack business, really," Leah answered.

"Hey, while we are waiting, I really need to get back to work on this truck," I told them. I really just needed a breather. I couldn't believe what I was asking these guys to do. I grabbed my socket wrench and put my head back under the hood.

I heard Quil say he was going into the house to get something to drink. I figured he was going to pump Jake for more information about what was going on. Leah walked over to the truck and stood there quietly watching me work. "I'm sorry, Embry. I hope you don't feel like I'm pushing you. It's just after I talked to Mom, I got so excited, I wanted to tell you right away."

I glanced over at her. "Yea, it's OK."

I kept working until I heard the guys all walk into the garage. Sam was with them. _That was quick!_ Now I was really getting nervous. _What if they refused to do it? What if they got pissed at me?_

I grabbed a shop rag and wiped the grease off of my hands as I walked over to meet them. "Hey, Sam," I said

"Embry. You all want to tell me what the hell is going on?" Sam asked sternly.

I looked at Leah. She gave me a small smile then said, "Embry and I were talking the other night and I realized how awful it is for him not knowing who his dad is. He hides it well," she looked at me then went on, "but it's hard, you know? So, I talked to my mom, and she is going to help by having some DNA tests run for him. That's what we need you guys for."

I spoke up, "Look guys. You have the right to say no, OK? I don't want to bust up any families, or have you guys hate me. I already think of all of you as my brothers. But, Leah's right. The older I get, the more this bothers me. Especially now, that I phased. If any of the elders know who my dad is, they are not saying. And if it is one of them, they must not want to claim me. Whatever, you know? I don't care. I just want to know. So, Leah says that each of you can take a simple test and it will show if we are truly brothers, by blood. "I took a deep breath and continued, "Like I said, it is up to you. I'm not going to say anything to anyone, and I don't want you to either. This is just for me. Do you guys get why I have to do this?"

Jake was the first to say anything, just like I knew he would be. "I'm in, Em. I'll do this for you."

I looked at Quil who had his head down. I knew this was a tough one for him. He really looked up to his dad. He never wanted to talk about this with me because he didn't want to think about his dad being a jerk to his mom by having an affair.

Sam came over to stand in front of me. "Look my dad wasn't much of a dad. He was an asshole, actually. If you wanna lay claim to him, be my guest! I'm in, bro." He squeezed my shoulder and stepped aside.

I looked over at Quil again. He was very quiet. I walked over to him and said, "You don't have to do this. I mean it. I understand."

He shook his head and said, "No, I want to. For you. I'll just have to grow up and deal, you know?"

I reached out and hugged him. "Thanks, man."

"OK, so how do we do this?" Jake asked Leah.

"My mom will bring the kits home with her tonight. So, you guys just need to come to my house tonight, and she will do the test. It's real easy – you just put this cotton swab in your mouth and get some spit on it. She drops it into a plastic bag and takes it to the lab. They will run the test and let us know the results. It takes about 2 weeks, she said."

The all nodded. "What time?" asked Sam.

"I don't know, maybe seven o'clock?" Leah said.

"OK. See you then," Sam said. He walked out of the garage.

"I'm going over to watch Claire right now, but I should be able to get there somewhere around seven," Quil said. "See ya later." He walked out.

Jake said, "I'm going to get back to work, but I'll be there tonight." He punched my arm as he walked away.

Leah looked at me. "You OK, Embry?"

"Yea, I'm good. I need to get back to work on the truck. See you tonight, OK?"

She nodded. "OK. Bye." I watched her walk out of the garage. I couldn't help but be amazed again at her doing this for me. I shook my head. _Weird._

Leah POV:

I was anxious. Getting them to agree to take the tests was a big hurdle, and they all agreed. They all showed up and taking the tests wasn't that big of a deal. But waiting two weeks was crazy! Mom said that was standard – that's just how long it took and I would have to be patient. Patience was never one of my strong suits. Embry seemed to be handling it better than I was.

School was out for the summer now. Seth was lounging around on the couch in front of the TV while I was folding laundry. "You know, Mom is expecting you to mow the lawn today," I said to Seth.

"Yea, yea. I'll get to it," he answered as he flicked channels.

I rolled my eyes at him. He was a good kid. I should lay off. He would get to it.

I took the laundry upstairs and put it away. Now what? I had finished my chores for the day, except making dinner, and that wasn't until later. What was I going to do with myself all afternoon?

I looked out the window. It was a fairly decent day, so I decided to go to the beach. I could take a good book and sit there for awhile in the sun. I put on my bathing suit, threw on a pair of board shorts over it and shoved a beach towel and a book into a bag. I went downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water to take with me.

"Hey Seth! I'm going to the beach. Wanna come?" I hollered.

"Naw. I'm happy right here on the couch. Plus, I do have to mow the lawn," he answered.

_See? Good kid. _"OK," I said as I walked into the living room. "I'll be back in time to make dinner. See ya!"

We didn't live that far from the beach, so I was going to walk there. There was a shortcut that we used through the woods to get there. I put my sunglasses on and took off. I couldn't remember the last time I went to the beach just to sit and enjoy it. I had spent way too much time hiding from life. It _was_ time to move on and do some things just for me.

I came out of the woods and onto the beach. It was a public beach, but not many people used it since it was on the reservation. There were some blankets and umbrellas scattered here and there, and kids making sand castles. Some kids came here to surf, but the waves weren't up for that today.

I decided to walk a little to find just the right spot. I saw a couple playing in the water then recognized Embry. He was splashing some girl wearing a bright pink bikini, who of course was screaming and giggling. _God, I hated that! Why did girls think they had to behave like that around hot guys? Hot guys? Did I just . . . no._ I looked again. I think this was Mandy, the girl that Embry had been seeing at the end of school. I didn't know he was still seeing her.

He reached over and grabbed her and picked her up. Another scream, and an "Embry! Stop it!" _Yea, right, skank. You're loving every minute of it. _It was making me sick to my stomach. All of a sudden they turned and were running right at me!

I started walking, hoping they wouldn't see me. "Leah! Hey Leah!" _Too late! _I turned to see Embry, water dripping from his slick black hair, and running down his face. He had a big grin planted there. He was wearing board shorts, and he looked a little more buff than I had remembered. I had to stop and wait for him to make his way to me.

"Hey Embry! Having some fun in the sun?" _Fun in the sun? Did I really say that?_

He laughed. "Yea, we are. What about you?"

"Um, just got here actually. I brought a book – thought maybe I would just sit here on the beach and read a little."

"Wow. Real fun," said the Bimbo.

"Oh, uh, Leah, this is Mandy. Mandy this is my friend, Leah," Embry said quickly.

"Hi, nice to meet you," I said politely. _I bet you have no idea how to even open a book._

"Yea, hi. Come on, Embry! Let's get back in the water,"she said as she rubbed her body against his arm.

I shot my eyebrows up and looked at Embry. He smiled at me and said to Mandy-Bimbo, "Sure, babe. Just give me a sec here, OK? I have to ask Leah something. Why don't you go and grab the sunscreen? I'll come over and rub some more on your back, OK?"

She smiled and batted here little eyelashes at him, "OK." Then she threw herself at him and kissed him. It was rather gross and graphic. I think she had her tongue out of her mouth before she even met his lips. _Ugh!_

He peeled himself away from her and gave her a gentle push. She took off running down the beach, looking over her shoulder to make sure that Embry was watching her ass as she left.

"Um, sorry about that. She's . . ."

I put my hand up. "Say no more. She's real . . . perky!" He laughed at that. "I haven't heard anything yet, if that is what you are wondering. You know I will call you as soon as Mom gets the results."

"Yea, I know. I guess I just thought, when I saw you . . . that maybe you had heard," he said.

I smiled. "Sorry. It's killing me too. I can't stand waiting!"

He looked at me and smiled. "Don't take this the wrong way, but, I've kind of missed you. I haven't seen you much lately. Since we have gone back to our regular patrolling schedule, we haven't spent as much time together. How are ya?"

"I'm OK. I just got my grades for my online classes. I got an A in Psych, and a B in English Comp. I'm pretty happy with that," I told him.

"Hey, that's great! Yea, I got my report card. Not as bad as I thought – three C's and two D's. At least I passed 11th grade."

I laughed, "That's not bad considering all we have to deal with. No sleep, hardly anytime for homework," I said.

"Embry! I found the sunscreen." Mandy-Bimbo sang out.

He looked over at her then back at me. "Sorry, I gotta go. Are you doing anything later? Maybe we could get together? Take a walk on the beach? Jump off a cliff?" he asked with a big smile.

"Um, yea, I guess. I told Seth I would be home in time to make dinner. It's just him and me tonight. Mom's working. You want to come over for dinner?"

He looked surprised at that. "Uh, yea," he said. Then he smiled, "I would really like that. What time?"

"Six?"

"OK, see you then." He took off and jogged back to Little Miss Bikini Bimbo.

I decided where I was standing was an OK spot, so I took out my towel and spread it on the sand. I slipped off my board shorts and threw them in the bag. I decided to take a little dip before I opened my book. I walked down to the water's edge and waded in. The water felt really good. When your body temperature runs at 108, it was hard to spend a lot of time in the sun. I dove in and started swimming. The water felt really good running over my body. It was so relaxing. I couldn't get over how good I was feeling these days! I felt like I was finally coming out into the sun after years of being in darkness.

I swam for awhile then walked back onto the beach. I decided to let myself air dry instead of drying myself with the towel. I pulled my long hair to the side and squeezed the excess water out then I shook it out. I felt someone watching me. I looked over to where Embry was to see him staring at me. Mandy-Bimbo had her back to me, so she probably thought he was listening to whatever she was babbling about. But I locked eyes with him. Yes, he was definitely staring at me. I smiled at him, and he smiled back. Miss Bimbo turned to look over her shoulder at me. _Uh-Oh! Busted! _I quickly sat down and put my sunglasses on. I pulled my book out of my bag and opened it to the bookmark. I glanced over to Embry. He had his head down and I could tell he was getting grilled. I smiled when I noticed the small smile on his face. _What a player!_ I laughed to myself.

I spent an hour or so reading and relaxing. Embry and Mandy had picked up their stuff and left soon after I started reading. I hoped I hadn't gotten Embry in too much trouble. I finally decided I had enough sun, so I gathered up my stuff and headed home. On the walk home I thought about what to make for dinner. I had seen Embry eat before. He was just like my brother and all of the rest of them. They pretty much ate anything, and a lot of it. I decided to make spaghetti and meatballs. That was something that filled you up and I could make a lot of it. I would add some salad and bread. I was actually looking forward to cooking dinner tonight. _What's up with that?_

Embry POV:

I couldn't take my eyes off of her! She had walked out of the water like some goddess in this black one piece bathing suit. It hugged every curve of her body, and was cut low enough in the front to show some cleavage. I had never seen Leah like this. She squeezed the water from her hair then she shook her head and her hair flew out all around her. I knew I was staring, but I couldn't help it. She was hot! All of a sudden she looked over and locked her eyes with mine. She smiled at me, and it took every ounce of strength I had not to get up and run to her. It was like I was being called to her or something. _What is wrong with me? This is Leah! _

Just then, Mandy interrupted my stare by smacking me. "Embry! Are you listening to me?" She looked over her shoulder to see what, or who, I was looking at. She looked back at me and said, "Sorry, am I not enough for you?"

"Huh? What, oh, yea, baby. Sure you are. Look, Leah has had a tough time lately, and I've been trying to help her through it, that's all. I'm really glad to see her here, out and around other people. Really!" _Yea, dig yourself out of this one._

"You know, Embry Call, I heard about you. All of my friends told me that you couldn't be happy with just one girl. I told them, _'No, he's not like that. He really likes me.' _Yea, right! Thanks for making me look like an idiot. Now all of my friends will get to say, 'I told you so!' like I need that!" Mandy was going on and on, and I knew I should be listening, but I just couldn't concentrate on what she was saying. I put my head down and couldn't help but smile. Man, I couldn't get Leah out of my head!

Mandy started gathering all of her stuff and shoving it in her bag. "I want to go home, Embry, right now." She stood up and picked up her towel and shook it out. Sand went all over me.

"OK, OK! I picked up my towel and walked with her to the truck. "Look, Mandy, baby . . ."

"Don't you DARE '_baby'_me!" she yelled at me.

I opened the truck door for her and she got in. I walked around and got into the driver's seat. She turned her body away from me and stared out the window. I didn't see how I was going to get out of this one.

I drove her to her house. Before I stopped the truck, I tried one more time. "Mandy, I really am sorry. Leah and I are just friends. That's it. Nothing more. You have nothing to be upset about, baby. Like I said, she had a really bad breakup with her boyfriend. He's engaged to her cousin, and they just found out that she's going to have a baby. Can't you imagine how awful that has been for Leah? Her cousin!"

She looked over at me. "That is awful!

"Yea, it is. I just let her vent one night and get it all out. Since then, she has been feeling a little better, and I was just really glad to see her on the beach. I'm sorry if you thought it was anything else." _Pretty smooth, dude._

I pulled up to her house and put the truck in park. She looked at me. I could tell she was trying to make up her mind whether to forgive me or not. She smiled. _Score! _"Well, maybe I did overreact a little. I guess you were just being a good friend."

"Yea, that's all, really."

She smiled at me and scooted over toward me. I put my arm around her and pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around me and put her lips on mine and shoved her tongue into my mouth. All of sudden she had gotten really aggressive. I guess jealousy does that to a girl. I felt like she was trying to mark her territory or something.

We made out a little bit then I pulled back and said, "I gotta go, baby. I gotta get home."

"OK. Call me later?" she asked in her cute little baby doll voice.

"Sure," I said.

She opened the door and got out. I watched her walk up the sidewalk. She turned and gave me a little wave when she got to the door. _What is she, five? _I gave her a fake smile and waved back and she went inside then drove off toward home.

Why all of a sudden was I so annoyed at that? I used to think she was so hot and cute! I thought about how she had assaulted me with her tongue when I went to kiss her. I realized that I had just made a big mistake by talking to her and getting her to forgive me. I instantly regretted it. I should have let her stay pissed at me.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Embry POV:

I left a note for Mom letting her know that I would be at the Clearwater's for dinner and I wasn't sure what time I would be home. I had a hard time getting dressed to go to Leah's. That was NOT like me at all. I usually just threw on whatever was closest. But for some reason, I was worried about how I looked. I put on my best pair of khaki shorts, and a white v-neck t-shirt. Then I slid a brown plaid, short-sleeved, button-up shirt on over the t-shirt. I looked in the mirror. _Not bad. _I made sure that I shaved and brushed my teeth. I even brushed my hair over to the side so my bangs kind of swooped over my forehead. I needed a haircut. I remembered that Emily told me that the last time I saw her. She always cut my hair for me. I would have to get my ass over there soon.

I remembered that I had some cologne that I had gotten from my mom last year for Christmas. I looked in the medicine cabinet, found it and put a little on. Then I closed the cabinet and looked in the mirror again. _What the hell is wrong with you? Why are doing this? Like you think you have a chance with Leah? Do you want to have a chance with Leah? _

I shook my head and decided I better get going. I drove over to the Clearwater's and pulled up at five til six. I parked and walked up to the door. I knocked and heard Seth holler out, "Come in!"

I walked in and sniffed. _Wow, something smells really good! _"Hey," I said to Seth.

"What's up, bro?" he replied.

"Not much. Who's winning?" I asked as I noticed that Seth was watching the Mariner's game.

"Who do you think? Not the Mariners. Griffey hasn't hit a home run in like 2 weeks!" he said.

I nodded. "Where's your sister?" I asked.

"Kitchen," he grunted. "Oh man, come on! He was out by a mile!" I decided to leave him screaming at the TV.

I walked into the kitchen and found Leah stirring something on the stove. She had a radio playing some music, and she was humming along. She had her back to me. She had her hair clipped up and I had the sudden urge to walk over and kiss her neck. _God Embry, knock it off._

"Hey Leah!" I said.

She jumped and turned around. "Oh my gosh, Embry. You scared me!"

I laughed. "Sorry!"

She put the spoon down and turned around to face me. "Wow, you look really nice!"

I smiled shyly. "Um, thanks. So do you." She did too. She was wearing a short white skirt with a dark purple tank top. I don't know if I had ever seen her wear a skirt. She had the legs for it, that was for sure. She was barefoot – I liked that.

She smiled at me and said, "I hope you're hungry. I made spaghetti and meatballs. But I have to warn you: it's Seth's favorite, so you may have fight him to get enough."

"I can take the little runt, don't worry."

She smiled again and said, "Well, it's almost ready. I just have to drain the spaghetti. "

"Do you need help with anything?"

"Nope. Why don't you go and get Seth and tell him it's time to eat," she said as she poured the spaghetti into the colander in the sink.

"Sure," I replied. I walked into the living room and said to Seth, "Your sister said to tell you it's time to eat."

He looked away from the TV and said, "Yea, OK. This game is done anyway." He clicked the TV off and I followed Seth into the dining room. _Wow! A house with a dining room. _This was the nicest house on the reservation. It had a living room, a big kitchen, a dining room, three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and a rec room in the basement with a pool table! I felt a little out of place here.

Leah had set the table with nice dishes, glasses, silverware, placemats, the whole thing. There was a salad sitting at each place. It looked really nice. Seth walked in and plopped down in a chair. Leah came in with a basket of bread and said to me, "Go ahead, sit down. You can start on your salad." Seth picked up his fork and began eating his salad.

I pulled out a chair and sat across from Seth. She brought two plates of spaghetti and put one in front of me and one in front of Seth. "What do you want to drink, Embry? We have milk, water, iced tea, pop?"

"Um, water is fine," I said quietly. I was really feeling out of place. This fancy stuff was nice, but it wasn't my scene.

She came back with a pitcher of ice water and a plate of spaghetti for herself. I took the pitcher from her and poured a glass for her then for myself. I noticed that Seth was already finished with his salad! I handed the pitcher to Seth who poured a glass for himself then he picked up a fork and dug in. I smiled. Leah was right. He was shoveling in as fast as he could.

She looked over at me and rolled her eyes. She sat down at the end of the table and dug in. We all ate and talked a little. Seth ate three plates full of spaghetti. I stopped at two to be polite. "Leah, that was awesome. You're a really good cook!" I told her.

I think she blushed a little. "Thanks," she said shyly.

Seth said, "Yea, thanks, sis. That was great!" He stood up and took his dishes to the kitchen. He walked back into the dining room and said, "Hey, I have to leave in about 10 minutes to patrol with Jared. See you guys later."

"OK. Be careful, little brother," Leah called to him.

"Always am," he called back.

She looked over at me and I smiled at her. "Want some help cleaning up?"

"Sure," she said.

We cleared the table and I helped her load the dishwasher. _A dishwasher!_ I don't think I had ever seen one let alone load one. She wiped down the counters and hung the dishrag on the faucet to dry. She pushed the button on the dishwasher and it purred to life. "I guess that's it. Thanks, Embry."

"Least I could do for such a great meal," I told her. I meant it. It was really good.

She walked into the living room and sat down on the couch and curled her legs underneath her. I plopped down beside her. She looked at me and asked, "I hope I didn't get you in too much trouble today with Mandy."

I laughed. "Oh yea. She was pissed. But of course, I smoothed it over and she was eating out my hand by the time I dropped her off."

"Uh-huh. I forgot, the 'Embry Magic'." She smiled at me. _She is so beautiful when she smiles._

"Yea, right." Then for some reason I found myself saying, "But after she assaulted me with her tongue and then walked to the house and turned and gave me her little cutie-pie wave, I wished that I had let her stay pissed at me."

"What?" she said with a fake shocked look. "Are you telling me that you are finally tiring of bimbos?"

"After today, I don't know," I answered truthfully. "Maybe." I looked at her sheepishly.

"So, why were you staring at me so intently today, may I ask?"

"Um, I . . ." what was I going to say_? I was staring at this beautiful goddess walk from the ocean and I was trying to keep myself from running over and taking her in my arms and kissing her until we fell into the sand and . . ._

"Embry?" she prompted. She was looking at me, waiting for an answer.

I threw my hands up and said, "OK, you caught me! I was staring at you. I don't think I have ever seen you in just a bathing suit like that, and Leah, come on, you have to know what a gorgeous babe you are. It just caught me off guard, I guess. I never pass up the chance to stare at a hot girl." I grinned at her.

"Yea, right. Me, gorgeous. Good one, Embry," she snorted then hung her head.

"Hey!" I reached over and pulled her chin up to look at me. "I'm not shitting you, Leah. You are a beautiful girl. I may say a lot of things to girls to get them to go out with me, but I NEVER lie to a girl about how hot they are."

She smiled and I found myself wanting to kiss her again. _What is it about that smile? _I put my hand out to touch her cheek. She didn't move, she just looked at me. I leaned in and kissed her on the lips. I lingered there, but she didn't kiss back, so I pulled away and said, "Leah?"

"Why did you do that, Embry?" I couldn't quite read her face. _Was she pissed again?_

"What? What do you mean, 'Why did I do that?' I don't know. I just got done telling you I thought you were gorgeous, and you want to know why I wanted to kiss you? When I'm with a hot girl like you Leah, it's what I do," I said with a smile.

_Uh-Oh. Must have been the wrong answer. _She pulled back and l could see the anger in her eyes. "So that's why, cause you think I'm hot? That's it? I'm not like the rest of the skanky girls you usually have hanging all over you, Embry. I'm not going to fall all over you because you tell me I'm hot!"

"No, Leah. That's not it! I mean, yea, you're hot. But . . . it's not just that. "I hung my head. "Damnit!" I said softly. I looked back up at her and said, "Leah, I like hanging out with you. When I said on the beach today that I missed you, I really meant that. I like talking to you, you know? I've enjoyed patrolling with you and getting to know you a little more. I find out something new about you every time I'm with you. Like you helping me with the DNA tests. You really care. I mean, no one has ever gone out of their way to do something like that for me."

She just sat there and looked at me. "Embry, I can't figure you out. I know how you are with girls, we all do. But, now you're confusing me. I just don't know why you would want to kiss _me._"

"Didn't you listen to anything I just said? Man, Sam really messed you up! Leah, just because Sam imprinted on someone else, it has nothing to do with who you are. You have to get that through your head. I kissed you because you are really pretty, beautiful in fact. But you're also smart, and caring and fun, and you . . ."

She put her hands on my chest, leaned forward and kissed me. I scooted closer and took her in my arms. I wasn't letting her get away this time. I deepened the kiss by teasing her lips with my tongue. She parted her lips and touched her tongue to mine. _Wow! _Our lips moved together in perfect unison, like we had been kissing each other forever. It wasn't an assault, like with Mandy. It was different kissing Leah. Different from all of the other girls I ever kissed. I actually _felt _something when I kissed her. Suddenly she broke the kiss, pushed herself away from me and stood up and walked over to the window.

"Leah? What's wrong?" I asked. I got up and went to stand beside her.

She looked at me and I saw a tear roll down her cheek. I reached up and wiped it away with my thumb.

"Embry, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. It's not fair to you," she said.

"What are you talking about? It was fantastic!"

"I don't know if I'm ready . . . to do this again. To care about someone. It's so hard, Embry." She looked up at me and smiled, "But I haven't been kissed in so long. And, of course, you are _really_ good at it!"

I laughed. "Well thanks. I guess I could say practice makes perfect, but that makes me sounds like a real ass. But, honestly, Leah, I have never felt that way with any other girl, the way I felt just now when I kissed you. I really _felt_ something, you know? And by the way, you are really good at it too."

I pulled her into my arms and held her close. I breathed in and smelled her hair. _It smells so good. Like strawberries and sunshine. _She wrapped her arms around my neck. "Really? Or is that another trick you use on your bimbos? I'm getting to the point where I can't tell," she said with a small smile.

"It's not a trick." I leaned down and kissed her again. "I really, really like you," I told her. I pulled away to look in her eyes and I said, "And seriously, since I saw you on the beach today, I can't get you out of my head. Something happened today, Leah . . ."

She leaned in and put her lips on mine. She gave in and let go. She kissed me with all of the pent-up passion she had. I felt like my head was spinning! I pushed her shirt up her back and ran my hands over her skin. She pulled back and said, "Embry, stop!" she said, panting.

"What? Why?" I asked, trying to catch my breath. "It was just getting good!"

She took my hand and walked me back to sit on the couch. "Embry, it's so easy to get lost in the feeling of kissing you," she said with a smile. "But, I'm really afraid. What if . . . what if I fall for you, and . . . you imprint on someone else? I couldn't go through that again, Embry. I just can't. I think it would kill me." Tears slipped from her eyes and ran down her cheek.

"Oh God, Leah. I never thought of that." I hadn't. I never thought about imprinting. But I wasn't worried about it the way Leah was, and she had good reason. "I don't know what to say. I would love to say that I would never do that to you, but we both know . . ." I let my voice fade away. _Damnit! _I looked at her and said, "Look, we're just friends, right? Neither of us are really looking for a relationship. Maybe we can be . . . friends with benefits?" I smiled.

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "I don't know, Embry. Depends on the 'benefits.' "

I laughed and leaned back onto the couch. I put my arm around her and pulled her to me. "We can negotiate that later." She laid her head onto my shoulder. We sat there quietly for awhile. Then we heard a car pull into the garage. She picked her head up and said to me, "Mom's home."

"Should I go?" I asked quietly.

"No. Not yet."

We scooted apart and Leah flicked the TV on. An old episode of _Friends _was on. We pretended to watch.

Her mom walked into the house and called out, "Anybody home?"

"In here, Mom!" Leah answered.

Sue walked into the living room, "Hi, honey. Well, Embry hello! How are you?"

"Good, thanks. You?"

"Good. I'm glad you're here. I have something for you." She pulled her purse off of her shoulder and started digging around looking for something.

My heart started to beat a little faster. _Could it be the DNA test results? _I looked at Leah. She looked as excited as I did.

Sue pulled an envelope out of her purse and walked over to hand it to me. "Here you go, Embry. I hope you find what you're looking for. Remember, these tests were done by numbers. I have each of the boy's numbers written down. Let me go and get them so you can match up the results." She left the room.

I looked at Leah. The envelope felt like it was burning my hand. "I'm really nervous. Will you open it and read it for me?"

"Are you sure?" she asked.

I nodded. _I still wasn't sure I wanted to see what was in there. How would I deal with what I found out?_

Sue walked back into the room and handed me a piece of paper with three numbers written on it, and a name next each one.

Leah looked me in the eye and said quietly, "Ready?"

I couldn't speak. I just nodded. She ripped open the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. "There is a match!" she said excitedly. "Number 875261."

I handed her the paper in my hand. My hand was shaking. I closed my eyes. _Get a grip, man. _She looked at both papers and said, "It's Sam. You're Sam's brother."

I opened my eyes. _Of course it was. What was it Sam had called his father? Oh yea, an asshole. _

"Embry? Are you OK?" Leah asked me. She reached over and took my hand. "Embry, talk to me."

I looked up. Sue had quietly left the room to give me some privacy. "Um, yea, I'm OK. Just remembering what Sam had to say about his dad. I think he affectionately called him an asshole. Figures doesn't it?"

"Stop that! God, Embry! You finally know who your dad is. I thought that is what you wanted. No one gets to pick their parents, you know. So the guy was an asshole who left his wife and kid. He had an affair and had another kid he never met. That's not your fault. It's not Sam's fault. At least you know now. You are a Uley. Talk to Sam and learn more about the family tree. The Uleys were an important family in this tribe, you know. I'm sure there is something to be proud of somewhere. You can be proud of Sam. He's a great guy."

"Oh yea, Leah, he's a prince. He broke your heart. How can you say he's a great guy?" I shot at her. _Shit. _I took a deep breath and took her hand. "Leah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. You're right. I do respect Sam. He is a great guy. I will talk to him." I leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Thanks, baby. Thank you for doing this for me. It means a lot to me."

She smiled and said, "You're welcome. I hope that hole inside feels a little smaller tonight, Embry. I can hardly feel that emptiness anymore."

"Really? That's great! I'm happy for you, Leah. I really am." I reached up and touched her cheek.

I began to lean toward her to kiss her again then I heard her mom rattling around in the kitchen. _I forgot we weren't alone._ "I better get going. I have a lot to think about," I said. I took her hand and stood up, pulling her up with me. "Walk me out?"

She nodded. I stopped and turned toward the kitchen. "Sue?"

Sue was making herself a sandwich. She turned from the counter and said, "Yes?"

I walked toward her and said, "Thank you so much for everything you did to help me find out who my dad is. It's Sam's dad by the way. I guess I'm a Uley."

"Aw, honey, you're welcome." She came over and gave me a hug. "I'm glad I could help. I know it's going to take awhile for you to sort things out, but if there is anything else I can do for you, let me know, OK?"

"I will. See you later," I said.

"Goodnight, Embry."

We walked out of the kitchen and made our way outside. Leah closed the front door behind her then reached down and took my hand. We walked to my truck. When we got there, I pulled Leah into my arms. She laid her head against my shoulder. "Some night, huh?" I said.

"Yea." She pulled her head away and looked up at me. "Would it be selfish of me to ask you to kiss me again, Embry?"

I smiled then I kissed her long and slow. She leaned into me and wrapped her arms around me. I finally pulled away and said huskily, "Leah, I . . ." I rested my forehead on hers.

"I know. It feels really good, Embry. Kiss me again."

My lips found their way to hers again. She was letting go and we were getting into kissing when . . .

"What the hell is going on here? What the fuck?" I heard. _Uh-oh! Seth!_

I pushed Leah away from me. I looked over and said, "Hey Seth!" That's when he planted his fist in my face! It knocked me back into the truck.

"Seth!" Leah screamed. "Knock it off!" She grabbed his arm just as he hauled back to hit me again.

I stood up and said, "Let him go, Leah." She let go and he backed up. He was shaking good, I knew he was close to phasing. I didn't want Leah to get hurt if he did. "Calm down, Seth!" I shouted at him.

"Seth! Listen! Stop!" Leah was yelling at him. She got in his face and yelled, "I wanted him to kiss me. I was kissing him because I wanted to. Do you hear me? Knock it off!" He nodded and backed away from her.

"Seth, I'm sorry, dude. This all happened kind of fast. We weren't expecting it."

Seth just looked at us and muttered, "Yea, whatever." He took off running toward the house.

"I think I'm on his shit-list," I said to Leah. I put my hand up to my eye. "Man, he packs a mean punch for such a scrawny kid! That's gonna be a shiner, at least for a little while." Good thing about being a werewolf – it would heal before morning.

"I'm so sorry, Embry. I'm gonna go talk to him," she assured me.

I nodded. I leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "See you tomorrow?" I asked.

"Yea, sure," she said with a smile.

I climbed into the truck and watched her walk into the house. I rested my forehead onto the steering wheel. _God, what a night! _So much had changed in just a few hours. I started the truck and took off for home.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

Leah POV:

I walked into the house and hollered, "Seth!" Nothing. "Seth! I need to talk to you."

Mom came out of the kitchen and said, "He came in, slammed the door and went up to his room. What is going on?"

"Embry kissed me and Seth punched him in the face!" I told her in a hurry. I headed upstairs.

"What?" I heard her say behind me. "Leah!"

I went to Seth's door and started pounding on it. "Seth! I need to talk to you. Seth!"

"Go away! I don't want to talk to you," he yelled from inside.

He never locked his door, so I turned the knob. The door flew open. "Well, that's too damn bad because we are going to talk."

He was laying on his bed with his arm flung over his eyes. He sat up as soon as I sat on the bed. "Look, Leah, it's your life. If you want to fuck it up, go ahead. I don't want any part of it!" he spat at me.

"Why are you so pissed off? I thought you liked Embry. I told you, I was kissing him because I wanted to. He wasn't hurting me in any way," I told him.

He snorted. "I didn't hit him because I thought he was hurting you, physically! Geez, Leah, I know you can defend yourself if you need to. It's because . . .it's Embry! Don't you get it? Do you really just want to be one of his 'ladies?' You've patrolled with him. You see how he is with girls. He makes out with them and dumps them. God, Leah, you can't be that stupid."

I smiled. _My little brother is so cute. He really cares about me! _"Of course I know how he is. I witnessed it first hand on the beach today with him and _Mandy_, his bimbo of the week. But, Seth, it was so weird. He was with her, but he kept staring at me. She got pissed and made him take her home. Something changed today between us. Tonight we finally gave into it and we kissed. Because you are my brother, I will not go into detail, but it was amazing."

"Yea, but, what if he . . . like Sam . . ." Seth stuttered.

I hung my head and said, "Yea, we talked about that." I looked over at him. "But, I'm not looking to fall in love with the guy, you know? He's not that type. Maybe I just want to kiss a guy, you know? I never really dated anyone but Sam."

Seth nodded and we were quiet.

"I'm sorry. I'll apologize to Embry if you want me to," Seth said.

I smiled. "No, you don't have to. He gets it. Great punch, by the way!" He smiled at that! "Did he hurt your hand?"

He laughed and said, "Yea, a little. I never punched a guy in the face before. I didn't even think about it – I just did it."

I stood up and smiled. "I'm tired, I think I'll go to bed. Thanks, Seth, for being a good brother." I leaned down and kissed him on top of the head, then turned and headed for the door.

"Love you," he said quietly.

"Love you, too," I said as I headed across the hall to my room. I walked into my room to see my mom sitting on my bed!

"Sorry, Leah. I had to see what was going on. Hope you don't mind?" she said.

I smiled as I sat down on the bed beside her. "No, I wanted to tell you anyway."

"So, you and Embry. I didn't see that one coming,"she said with a smile.

"I didn't either. Not at all! It just kind of . . . happened. A few weeks ago, after our first patrol together, we took a walk on the beach because I was having a particularly tough day. God, I've been such a bitch to these guys for so long. And I was really feeling bad that day because of Emily being pregnant. Embry was so nice! He asked me to take a walk, and he offered to listen. Unfortunately for him, I lost it. I told him how I felt and I cried and cried. He just held me and let me cry all over him. Then, he told me about how he felt about not knowing who his dad was. It really helped me to see that he knew how I felt. He told me it was like 'having a hole inside that only one person can fill. But you can't have that person, so it just aches.' That's exactly how I felt! So we talked a little more, and after that, Mom, I have felt so much better. It's almost like I dumped everything there on the beach that night, and walked away from it."

She looked at me with tears in her eyes and pulled me to her. "Oh Leah. I have noticed lately how you are more like your old self. I thought maybe it was just time that had healed you, but I see it was more than that. Whatever it was, I am so happy for you. You were hurt terribly, and I was so afraid that you might never be the same again. It is so good to see that is not true."

She let me go and I said, "Yea, well, Embry has been a big part of that. But that's what scares me too. What if I . . . for some reason, I fall for him, and then he . . . you know imprints . . ."

"Oh honey, listen," she pulled my face around to look at her and said, "in any relationship, there is a chance that things will not go like you want them to. Werewolf or no werewolf! People fall in love, and sometimes one of them falls out of love, or . . . dies." She put her head down for a moment. We all missed Dad so much, but I knew it almost killed her. She sniffed and looked back at me with tears in her eyes and went on, "But honey, that's the risk we all take. Love is worth the risk. I know that if that happened again, it would be devastating. But, what if it doesn't? What if you two stay apart and it never happens? What if you two are meant to be together? You said it was amazing. "

"Yea, it was. But, Mom, we just kissed, you know? And let's face it, Embry's not the type of guy to fall madly in love with a girl. I don't even want to think about love and relationships. Maybe I just want to have a little fun, you know? I never did that. I fell for Sam when I was 16, and I never even dated any other guys. Maybe it's time I do that, huh?"

"Well, there you go. Leah, I can't tell you what to do. You have to do what's best for you. But I would hate for you to be alone all of your life because you are afraid to love again. You would miss out on so much. But I don't want to see you rush into anything either. Take some time. Figure it out. I'll be here for you if you want to talk, OK?"

I hugged her and said, "Thanks, Mom. I'm glad you're here. I love you."

"I love you, too, honey." She pulled away and stood up. "I'm beat! I've got another 12 hour shift tomorrow, so I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Night, Mom," I called as she left the room.

I got up and shut my door. I pulled off my clothes and put on a night shirt and crawled into bed. I flicked the light off and laid there in the dark. Images of Embry kept floating into my head. _His strong arms around me, his lips on mine . . ._

I smiled to myself. It was time to have a little fun. And Embry was just the guy for that.

Embry POV:

For the first time in my life, I went to bed knowing who my father was. Well, I knew his name, but I didn't really know any more than that. Except that Sam thought he was an asshole. _Yea, great_. But I knew now who I was. _I'm a Uley. _I wasn't sure what that meant to me. Did it really change anything now that I knew who my dad was? I mean, he wasn't around. All those fantasies I had as a kid – meeting him, talking to him, going to a ballgame or fishing with him – none of those had a chance of coming true. I mean, no one knew if the guy was alive or dead! He walked away and never looked back. _Great role model_.

Leah told me I should talk to Sam about the family tree. _Wow,I had a family tree now! _I mean, I guess I had a family tree on my mom's side, but she never talked about it. Her parents were dead, and I never knew if she had any other family. She left that tribe before I was born and never looked back. I guess she and my dad had a lot in common.

I rolled over and tried to get comfortable in my little bed. I closed my eyes again and there was Leah. I could still feel her lips on mine and her body pressed so close . . . _She is so gorgeous, and she doesn't even know it. _She is so different than the chicks at school. She's smart and really cares about people. _And those eyes . . . you could drown in those eyes._ Images of her kept floating through my head . . . her smile, her laugh, her walking out of the water in that bathing suit . . _Ahhhh!_ I already took a cold shower when I got home. I really didn't want to take another one. I rolled over onto my stomach. I closed my eyes again and tried to go to sleep. My eye still stung a little where Seth had slugged me. That made me smile. He was protecting his sister from me. I always knew I liked that kid.

I finally fell asleep sometime in the middle of the night. I heard my mom get up and go to work, but I laid there and tried to go back to sleep. I was going to head over to Jake's and work with him in the garage again today. He was getting more and more work, thanks to his dad and Bella's dad, Charlie, spreading the word around. He asked me to work with him and he was sharing the money. I got to do something I loved to do, and get paid for it _Sweet!_

I finally hauled my ass out of bed and got dressed. I walked to the kitchen and grabbed a box of cereal, a bowl, spoon and the milk and sat down at the table. As I ate my cereal, Leah crept into my mind again_. What is it with this girl? Why was she so different? Why could I not get her out of my head?_

I finished my cereal and decided I better get going. I put my dish in the sink and went to brush my teeth. I looked in the mirror and my bangs were hanging in my eyes again. I had to get over to Emily and have her give me a haircut. I would have to remember to call her. I could get a haircut, and talk to Sam about the family.

I walked outside toward my truck. "Hey, stud!"

I looked up and there was Mandy, leaning against the truck, in a pair of really short shorts, and small little tank top.

"Um, hey! What are you doing here?" I said.

She came running at me and launched herself at me. I had no choice but to catch her. She put her lips on mine, and her tongue, before I knew what hit me. I surrendered to the assault for a moment then I set her down on the ground and pulled myself away from her.

"Mandy! God! What are you doing? Give me a break. I just woke up," I said rather gruffly.

"Geez, Embry. I thought you would be happy to see me. What's your problem?" Mandy said.

"My problem is you, Mandy. I'm sorry, baby, but this isn't going to work. I thought it would, but you were right about me. I can't stop thinking about Leah. It's not fair to you to be with you and think about another girl." There, I said it. _Now go away._

She raised her arm and slapped me across the face! Of course, being a big strong werewolf, I barely felt it. I had to keep from laughing, really. "I hate you, Embry Call! You are a . . . jerk! I never want to see you again!" She turned and flounced away.

As soon as she was around the corner, I let out the laugh that I was holding in. I climbed into the truck and thought, _"I can't wait to tell Leah about this."_

I drove off to Jake's, looking forward to spending the whole day under the hood of a car.

Leah POV:

_What the hell? Not even 12 hours later, and he has his lips and hands all over her!_

Since I couldn't sleep, I got up early this morning and baked. I made some banana bread and thought I would bring some to Embry for breakfast. Just as I turn the corner to his house, I see Mandy launch herself at Embry and put her mouth on him. She straddled him and he had his hands on her ass, kissing her. _God, Seth was right. I felt so fucking stupid! _

I turned and walked away quickly so he wouldn't see me standing there gawking. Tears ran down my cheeks as I ran for home.

Embry POV:

Jake and I worked all morning then hunger made us take a break for lunch. Bella had come over and made sandwiches for us and we were all sitting at the table eating.

I looked over at Jake and said, "So, um, Sue got the test results back and she gave them to me last night."

Jake looked over at me anxiously. I knew that Bella knew about the test. I found out with these imprints, you can't keep anything from them! Emily knew too. "And . . ."

"And, Sam's my brother," I said.

He nodded but didn't say anything. Then he looked at me and smiled and said, "Well, to tell you the truth, I'm kind of disappointed. I was really hoping we were blood brothers for real, you know?"

I did know. I was hoping for that too. "Yea, me too, bro. But we are blood brothers, remember? When we were 10? You stole that pocket knife from your dad and we each cut our thumbs then held them together?"

He laughed, and so did Bella. She said, "You guys really did that?"

Jake said, "Yea, we did. I told Embry I was sick to death of having just sisters and I wished he was my brother. We had seen on some old movie on TV where these two Indians had done that. So, we decided since we were Indians, we could do that too. God, we were such dweebs."

"I don't know. I think it's kind of sweet," Bella said with a smile. Jake looked over and kissed her.

"Oh come on guys! What has it been, like 10 minutes? Can't you go any longer than that without liplocking?" I cried. "I'm still eating here!"

Just for that, Jake pulled Bella close and really kissed her.

"OK, OK, I get it. I'm going back to work." I picked up my sandwich and can of Mt. Dew and walked out of the kitchen toward the back door.

"Come on, Em! You don't have to go," I heard Jake holler.

Yes I did. It made me think of Leah, and I was trying hard NOT to think of her right now. It made me crazy to think about Leah! _Ever since I saw her on the beach that day, I couldn't get her out of my head. What was going on here?_ I walked back into the garage and set my pop down on the bench. I finished my sandwich and took my new cell phone out of my pocket. I was finally making some money, so I bought a cheap, pay as you go cell phone. I dialed Leah's number and waited.

"Hello?" _God just hearing her voice made my heart skip a beat. What was wrong with me? _

"Hey, baby. I was thinking about you, and it made me miss you," I said.

Click. Nothing. What the hell? Cheap cell phone! Must have dropped the call. I dialed again.

"Look, Embry, I don't want to talk to you, OK?" Click.

_What? She doesn't want to talk to me? What the fuck was that about?_

Jake came walking back into the garage just then. "Making a hot date for tonight?" he said with a smile.

"Um, no. Not really. I called Leah and she hung up on me. Said she doesn't want to talk to me," I said slowly.

"Leah? What's going on there, Embry? I have a feeling it's more than just her helping you with the DNA tests."

I looked over at him. "Yea, it's more." I told him all about last night. Her being so damn gorgeous in the bathing suit, going there for dinner, after on the couch. "Kissing her is so different that kissing any other girl, man. I don't know how to handle it really. I can't get her out of my head."

"Is it because you actually _care_ about her? I mean, that would be different for you. Actually _caring _about a girl you were making out with!" Jake said.

"Thanks, Jake! You make me sound like a real asshole! I've cared about girls before!"

He gave me a look.

"What? I have!" _Haven't I? Maybe I haven't. _"OK, so maybe you have a point. But how would you know? Like you have any experience. I mean, you've only ever loved one girl since you were like 10. That doesn't make you much of an expert," I told him.

"Well, I've kissed other girls, Embry. Come on, you remember Becky in the 6th grade and then there was Allison at the 8th grade dance. And, what was her name, oh yea, Carly in 9th grade. She was hot, actually. She was all over me. Scared the shit out of me!"

I laughed. "Oh, how could I forget! OK, so Mr. Expert, how is it different kissing Bella than ALL of the other three girls you kissed before?"

"Um, well, I kissed her once on the beach, and she slugged me, so, that one doesn't count. But right before the big fight with the newborns, I kissed her. I convinced her to let go and just feel what she felt for me, and she did. Once she gave in to her feelings, it was amazing! Then those two days she spent here with me, taking care of me when I was hurt? Best two days of my life, man. We made out and every time it was so . . . I don't know how to describe it. But I think after the imprinting, now it's so much more intense. It's like there's a connection there that flows between us or something. It's freaky and hard to explain, but it is there. And, dude, when we made lo . . . oh, maybe I shouldn't talk about that. Bella would kill me! Although, when we are in wolf form, you'll probably know anyway. It's hard to get out of my mind."

My eyes grew wide and I said, "Are you fucking kidding me? You and Bella . . . you know, did the nasty? And you are just now telling me? Jake! Come on!"

He laughed. "Yea, I'm so sure she would love to hear it described that way. But yea, and talk about intense. Embry, there is nothing like being with a girl you love like that. Nothing! To hold her and to be able to touch her like that, man . . ."

"Gee, thanks Jake. Like I want to take another fucking cold shower," I muttered.

He laughed and said, "Sorry, bro!"

"Hey, was she a virgin, or did she, you know, do it with . . . _him_? I asked. "Can they even do that?"

He laughed. "Well, that's really none of your business, but, no she didn't. She said they kissed and stuff, but he never went any further because he was afraid he would lose it and hurt her. I guess that's one thing I can like about the guy," he answered with a grin.

"Wow. Never thought you would do it before me, bro," I said.

He looked at me and said, "You mean, with all of the girls you've been with, you never 'did the nasty?' "

"Hey, unlike you, I tell you EVERYTHING! You think if I had sex with a girl, I wouldn't have told you already?"

He laughed. "Yea, that's true.

"I mean, I had the opportunity a couple of times. And I went pretty far, but . . . I don't know. Something always held me back."

"Maybe you are just waiting for the right girl," Jake said.

"Yea, maybe," I said quietly. An image of Leah smiling at me popped into my head. _Maybe I just found her._

He clapped me on the shoulder and walked over to the car he was working on and got back to work.

I did the same, but couldn't get Leah out of my mind. I wish I knew why she was so pissed? Did she decide she didn't want to see me anymore because of the imprinting thing? Was it Seth? What was it? _This is going to drive me crazy!_

I finished the work on the car, and started it up. _Yes! _I shut it off and went to the bench to write up the work I did, and put down the cost for parts and labor. "Jake!" I called out. I wasn't sure where he went.

"Yea, under here," I heard him call back.

I looked over to the other car just outside the garage and saw Jake's legs sticking out. I jogged over and said, "Hey, I'm done with the car. I put the paperwork and keys on the bench. Can you call him and let him know it's done? I really want to find Leah and find out why the hell she is so mad at me."

He crawled out from under the car and sat up. He gave me a smile. "You're lucky I feel sorry for you, bro. If it were any other of your bimbos, I would say no. But for Leah, well . . . I'll make the exception."

I laughed and said, "Thanks, dumb ass. I love you, too."

"Go on! Get out of here! Go beg for forgiveness!" he shouted as I sprinted toward my truck. I was in such a hurry, I thought about phasing. But you couldn't keep your thoughts to yourself that way, and I really didn't want everyone knowing my business.

I jumped in the truck and it groaned to life. I took off and headed for her house. I had my foot down on the accelerator making the truck go as fast it would go, which was about 50 mph. I wondered if Seth would be there, and if he was still pissed at me too. Whatever was going on, I wasn't going to leave until I got to the bottom of it.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Embry POV:

I pulled up to the Leah's house, jumped out of the truck and jogged to the front door. I banged on the door then waited. Nothing. I banged on the door again. I heard someone walking inside. "Leah?" I banged on the door again and shouted, "Leah? Are you home? I need to talk to you!"

"Go away, Embry! I don't want to talk to you. I thought I made that clear on the phone," she shouted.

"Leah, can you please just open the door and tell my why the hell you are so mad at me? Please?" I was begging. _This is pathetic. _But I didn't care. "Leah, open this fucking door, or so help me I will rip it off of the hinges!"

The door opened and she stood there behind the screen door and folded her arms over her chest. "You really have NO idea why I'm pissed. NONE? Think, Embry, think real hard." Her eyes were flashing with anger. _God, she's so hot right now! Focus, Embry, focus._

"Help me out here will ya? You're killing me, Leah!"

She shook her head and rolled her eyes at me. "I got up early this morning and did some baking. I decided to stop by your house to bring you some banana bread, right from the oven. You know, do something nice for you. But, I was a little late. You already had a girl hanging on you, doing something _nice_ for you. God, Embry! What was all that bullshit last night, huh? I fell for it, hook, line and sinker. I feel like such a fucking fool!" Then she slammed the door.

I just stood there in shock. _Mandy! She saw me with Mandy! SHIT! _"Leah! Open this fucking door and talk to me. Let me tell you what happened. LEAH!" I reached out and yanked open the screen door just as the inside door flew open.

"Look, OH!" she jumped back as I pushed my way in and slammed the door. "Now you have nothing to hide behind, and you are going to listen to me." She turned and took off toward the stairs. I caught up with her and grabbed her around the waist with one arm and held to me and said more calmly, "Leah, please. Please let me explain." I let her go and turned her around.

She looked at me, anger still flashing in her eyes. It was still really turning me on. I pulled her over to the couch and made her sit down. Then I sat down next to her. She scooted over so our legs wouldn't touch. I had to smile at that. I looked over at her and started my explanation. "Look, Leah. I got up to go to Jake's to work. I walked out of the house, and there was Mandy, leaning against my truck. I had no idea she was there. She came running at me and launched herself at me – I had to catch her, I had no choice! As soon as I caught her, she planted her mouth on my face. It was pretty fucking gross, actually. Anyway, I pulled her off of me and set her down and told her that I didn't want to see her anymore. I told her that it wasn't fair to be with her when I was thinking of YOU all of the time. That's when she slapped me. I suppose you didn't stick around long enough to see that, did you?" She shook her head. "No, I didn't think so. So she slapped me, told me she hated me and stomped off. I got in the truck and went to work at Jake's. That's it! Honest!"

She still wouldn't look at me. I sat there for a minute trying to compose myself. "Look Leah. What I said last night was NOT bullshit. I meant every word. That was the most honest I have ever been with a girl. I mean that!" I stopped to reach out and pull her around to face me. I noticed that she didn't resist as hard as I thought she would. "You can even ask Jake. I told him all about it today."

"Leah, I meant what I said. What I feel for you is very different that anything I might have ever felt for any other girl, including Mandy. I couldn't sleep last night because every time I closed my eyes, I saw you coming out of the water in that bathing suit! I could still feel your lips on mine, and your hands . . . OK, I better stop."

She smiled at that. "Me, too," she said very quietly. I leaned forward and put my lips on hers very lightly. I left them there for just a second and pulled back to look in her eyes. "I'm pretty messed up trying to figure out what's going on here. I mean, I think about you ALL of the time, and really like being with you. I have never been so comfortable talking to a girl as I am with you. I . . ." She cut me off by kissing me. REALLY kissing me.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and wound them into my hair. I pulled her close and ran my hands up under her shirt to feel the skin on her back. Our tongues were playing with each other, and I felt like I was going to explode! She pulled back and took a hold of my t-shirt and pulled it off over my head and threw it on the floor. She looked up at me with a smile and ran her hands down my chest. _Oh man, keep it together._ I brought her lips back to mine and devoured her with a kiss. My heart was racing 100 miles per hour, and my hands ran all over her. Then, suddenly, she pulled back.

"Seth is home!" She threw my shirt at me and I put it back on quickly. She stood up and walked quickly to the kitchen. I didn't know what to do so I picked up the remote and turned on the TV just as Seth came in through the door that leads to the garage. _Calm down. Come on, try to catch your breath. _I looked over and said, "Hey Seth."

He looked at me for a second then said, "Where's Leah?"

"Kitchen," I answered.

He stood there and then said, "Sorry about last night."

I turned to look at him and said, "No problem, bro. You were just protecting your sister. I get it."

He walked over to stand in front of me. "Look Embry, I love you, man. But you better NEVER hurt her. Got it?"

I stood up and said, "Seth, I promise, I won't hurt her on purpose. I know she's worried about this imprinting thing, and believe me, so am I. I didn't plan on kissing your sister. It just, kind of . . . happened."

"Just don't treat her like the other girls you date. Leah is different. She's . . . "

"You don't have to tell me that. I know she is! I'm not playing her, Seth, really."

He nodded, but stayed quiet.

"Are we good?" I asked him.

He looked over at me and said, "Yea, we're good. As long as you treat her right, I got no problem with it. I just don't want to patrol with either one of you. I don't think I could take that. It's hard enough now with Jake and Bella. Ugh! I don't think I'm old enough to see some of that," he answered.

I laughed at that and said, "Neither am I!"

Just then Leah walked out into the living room. "What's going on here? You two make nice?" she said sternly. She sounded just like her mom.

"Yes, we made nice," I answered as I shoved Seth. He smiled and shoved me back. "He has stated that he does not want to patrol with either of us though." I raised my eyebrows up and down.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Fair enough." Seth walked by her to the kitchen mumbling something about not being in a hurry to grow up.

She laughed and walked over to me and put her arms around my waist. "Embry, we are going to have to be a little more careful. I don't know what it is about you, but I have a hard time holding back when I am with you. There is something going on between us, and until we figure it out, we need to try to stay in control. OK?"

"I'll try, but I can't promise. You drive me crazy, girl." I bent my head and kissed her just as Seth came out of the kitchen.

"Hello? Can this please be a suckface-free zone? Trying to eat a sandwich here," I heard him say.

We pulled apart and Leah said, "OK. He's got a point. Let's take a walk." I nodded. "Be back after while, Seth," she called behind her as we walked out the door.

I took her hand and said, "Where to?"

"I don't care, really." All of sudden she stopped and looked at me and said excitedly, "Wait! I do have an idea. I want to keep a promise to my little brother. Can we take him cliff-diving? He was pretty pissed when I got to go and he didn't," she said.

I laughed. "Sure, get the little runt," I replied.

She walked back into the house and hollered, "Seth! Want to jump off of a cliff?"

I heard him yell, "Hell, yea!" She ran upstairs and changed into her bathing suit and board shorts then ran back downstairs. "Let's go!" she shouted and we all headed for the truck. I drove us up to the spot and parked. We got out of the truck and walked down the little trail that would take us to the cliff. Leah was telling Seth all about what to expect. I just smiled. I loved seeing her this excited. I didn't want to tell her that we usually dove from up higher. The rest of us called this the "Baby Jump," but that's OK. I didn't want to kill them on their first couple of jumps.

We got to the edge and Seth said, "Hey, don't you guys usually jump from up there?" He pointed up to where we jumped from.

"Uh, yea, but you have to start here and work your way up, OK? I did, and so did everyone else. First jump is feet first, OK? Then, if you want to do it again, you can try diving. It's not too windy today, and there's no rip tide, so we should be good. Oh, and Sam's number one rule: NEVER come here and do this alone, OK?" Seth nodded. "So, Seth. You want to jump together, or alone. Up to you, bro. Leah and I went together."

He peeked over the edge and then stepped back. I smiled. There was no way he was going to show me if he was afraid. _Good man. _

"Just run and jump, right?" he asked.

"Yep. Just run and jump. Try to stay straight up and down so you hit the water feet first. You don't want to belly flop. Hurts like hell!"

"I'll go with you, Seth," Leah said. He looked at her then he looked at me.

The he grinned and took off. Three steps and he was falling toward the water. Leah screamed, "Seth!" and watched until he hit the water. I took her hand and said, "He's OK, baby. See? There he is!" I pointed to Seth bobbing in the water.

He whooped and waved and started swimming toward the shore. She looked at me and said, "I think that scared me more than jumping myself!" Then she laughed.

"OK, so what about you? Going solo today?" I asked.

"I think so,"she said excitedly. "But I'm not ready to dive yet," she added.

"That's cool. Go for it!" I said.

She stood in front of me and said, "Kiss me for luck?"

"You bet." I pulled her to me and gave her a rather raunchy drawn out kiss. "Give you something to come back for."

She laughed and shoved me back. "OK, here I go!" She backed up a little then ran and jumped. She screamed all the way down again, and I watched until I saw her head come up from the water. She turned and waved. I waved back.

I stood on the edge and did a swan dive off the cliff and entered the water head first. _Man, that never gets old. What a rush!_

I pushed my head through the water and pulled in air. Leah was on shore with Seth waiting for me, so I swam toward them. I walked through the water and joined them on the beach. Leah stood there in that bathing suit, with a big smile on her face. I tried to keep my eyes on her face, and not her cleavage. I shook my head and looked at Seth.

"So Seth? Was it a rush or what?" I asked him. I already knew the answer. He had this big grin plastered on his face.

"That was FUCKING AWESOME! I want to go up higher, Embry."

"Hey, slow down, little brother. If mom finds out I brought you here, she'll kill me. Let's just take this one step at a time, OK?" Leah scolded him.

He rolled his eyes and looked at me. I laughed. "Sorry, bro. I'm not crossing her. But we can jump again from the same cliff if you want to. Wanna try diving this time? I'll show you how."

"Yes, let's go!" he said as he took off. Sometimes it was hard to remember that Seth had just turned 14. Being a wolf and running with the rest of us, made us think of him as older, I guess. He could certainly hold his own with any vampire, he had proven that. But today, it was good to see him just be a kid.

"Come on," I said to Leah. I reached down and took her hand and we followed Seth up the trail to the cliff.

Later that night, the pack had a bonfire on the beach. Seth was having a great time telling everyone about his cliff-diving adventure. Jared and Paul told him stories about their first time, and of course, Paul had to share how Jared swallowed too much water and puked when he got to the beach.

Sam came over and said, "What the hell, Embry? You know he's too young to be doing that shit!"

"Oh come on, Sam. I took him to the Baby Jump. He was fine. I wouldn't put him in danger. I love the kid! Besides, it was Leah's idea." She looked at me and smacked me.

He still glared at me. "Yea, right. Leah's idea."

"Well, it kind of was," Leah said. "Seth has been bugging me since me and Em . . . Ow!" I elbowed her to shut her up. "I mean, he's always wanted to go, and you wouldn't take him. It's not a big deal, Sam. We're fine. OK? Lighten up!"

Sam's eyebrows shot up. I don't think he was used to Leah talking to him like that. That's probably the most words Leah had said to him in a long time.

"Yea, whatever," he said as he walked away.

I looked at her and laughed. I felt like we had just faced a teacher at school and gotten away with a prank.

Then I felt bad because I hadn't really talked to Sam yet about the test results. I needed to do that. "Hey, Leah. I need to talk to Sam. I'll be right back, OK?" She nodded. I'm sure she knew what I was doing.

"Sam! Hey!" He turned to look at me. "Can I talk to you a sec?" He nodded. I looked around. I didn't really want an audience for this conversation, so I said, "Can we walk a little?"

"Sure, I guess."

We walked away from the crowd and down toward the water. We came to a stop and I stood there looking out at the water wondering what to say next. How do you tell someone he's your brother?

"I take it this has something to do with the test results. Am I right?" Sam said.

I looked up and said, "Yea, it does."

"It's OK, Embry. Just say it."

"It's you, Sam. You're my brother." _There, I said it._

"Yea, I know."

"What? You know? Who told you?" I asked.

"Emily," he said with a sly smile.

"What? How did she know? I didn't tell . . ."

"No one had to tell her, bro. She told me after the first time you phased and came around. She took one look at you and asked me if we were related. I told her I didn't think so. When I told her about the DNA test, she told me she didn't need a test to tell her that you were my brother. Something about our eyes, and apparently we have the same stance or something. When I stand with my hands on my hips. She says you do the exact same thing in the same way."

"Really? Huh, I guess I never noticed."

"Yea, me either. But she did." He smiled. "So, what do you want to do about it?"

"What? I don't know. I mean, I guess I just wanted you to know. I mean, it's not like I can talk to _him_, your, I mean, _our _dad. But Leah thought it might help to ask about the family tree. Find out more about our ancestors, I guess."

"OK. I can do that. My mom told me some, and the elders told me the rest. Come over to the house sometime. I'd be happy to fill you in."

"Yea, OK, sure." I replied. I put my head down.

Same put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Look, bro. If you're worried about how I feel, let me tell you this: I'm happy to have a little brother. I grew up with just a mom, like you. It gets lonely. At least you had Jake! I know you were probably hoping _he_ was your brother. But, you know, after Paul and Jared phased, it was so much better for me because I finally felt like I had brothers. Family! But they aren't blood." He looked right into my eyes and said, "You are, dude. You are my blood, and that makes you my family. And I want you to know that I take care of my family." He pulled me to him in a hug. I felt tears spring into my eyes. I hugged him back, maybe a little too long.

We pulled apart and I said, "Thanks, Sam. Thank you so much. That means everything to me." I wiped my face with the back of my hand. "Shit, I'm turning into a chick, here."

He laughed and tousled my hair. "It's OK, bro." He stood back a little and crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Now, let's talk about you being here with Leah. I hear you've been spending time with her. You may be my little brother, but that won't keep me from kicking your ass if you hurt her."

I laughed, but then I looked at his face and thought he would kick my ass! "Look, I'm not playing her. I, um, I really like her you know, and . . ."

"Spit it out, Embry, I aint' got all night," Sam said.

"Well, I think I might have . . . feelings for her." _There. I said it._

"What?" Are you serious? You're not fucking with me, are you?"

"NO! Shit, no." I explained to him everything that had been going on between us for the last couple of weeks. Especially how I felt after the day I saw her on the beach. I didn't give him ALL of the details, because I was really afraid he WOULD kick my ass!

He looked out at the water and was very quiet. I had a feeling he was thinking about his time with Lean, and what had happened between them.

"Look, Sam, I can't help the way I feel about her. But, I'm not real sure how she feels about me. She keeps holding back because of . . . what happened with you. I want to give her time to figure it out, but it's hard because all I can think about is kissing her and . . . well, you know. Now I find out that you're my brother, and with your history with Leah, I don't want things to be weird between us, you know."

He finally looked over at me and smiled. "What happened between me and Leah was a long time ago. I loved her. I really did. I still care about her very much. But, I'm not _in love_ with her. I can't help it. Emily is all I see now, and forever. I love her with all I am, and I can't imagine life without her. If you figure out someday that is the way that you feel about Leah, then . . . I'm happy for you. And for her. She deserves to feel loved and protected. I couldn't do that for her. I hope that you can, bro."

I smiled and said, "I want to try, if she'll let me."

"Just don't hurt her. I mean that! I don't think she could take it," Sam said. I could hear how much he cared in his voice. It made me just a little jealous.

"Yea, but what if she hurts me? I've never cared about a girl like this before. You know me. I love being with girls! But as soon as they wanted to get all emotional, I moved on and found another one. I don't know how to deal with this, man. It's making me crazy!"

He laughed at that. "Yea? Good! Maybe you deserve that. Don't stress, bro. Just go with it. But don't push Leah. She'll come around in her own time. But if you push too hard, she might run." He looked out at the water for a minute then said softly, "I can't believe we're talking about Leah, man. Why did you have to fall for her?"

"I'm sorry, Sam. It's almost like I didn't have a choice. When I saw her walk out of the water in that bathing suit, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I haven't been able to get her out of my head ever since."

"Really? Hmmm." He looked back at the water like he was thinking about something. Then he shook his head and said, "Don't be afraid to talk to me about her, OK? I know it's weird, but . . we all have to move on, you know?"

I nodded. "Thanks, Sam. I think I'm going to like having a big brother to talk to."

"How about having a sister to talk to?" we heard from behind us. Emily walked up and stood beside me. "You don't have to tell me what the test results were, Embry. I knew the first time I saw you. I want you to know that you not only have a brother, but you have a sister now, too. And soon you'll have a new niece or nephew, Uncle Embry!" _Uncle Embry! Wow. I have a whole new family._

I reached out and hugged Emily. "Thanks, Em," I said. I pulled back and smiled at her. "Of course I want you as a sister. You're the best cook around!" She laughed and smacked me on the chest. "No, seriously, I'm glad you're OK with this. I was really afraid you guys wouldn't want . . . I don't know. I guess I didn't really know WHAT to expect. But, you guys are great. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now, don't be a stranger, OK? And get your butt over for a haircut, will you? Look at you!" She reached up and pulled my bangs so they were hanging in my face. I jerked my head back to flip them out of my eyes and she laughed.

"See? You'll get whiplash doing that!" she said.

I laughed and said, "OK, I'll come over soon when I get the time. I've been working with Jake and we've been really busy." I happened to glance over by the fire and I saw Leah sitting there all alone. "Um, I better get back to Leah. She's still not real comfortable around everyone yet."

They looked over to the fire and saw Leah. Sam said, "Yea. Uh, I need to let everyone know. About us. That OK with you?" he asked me.

_What? He wanted to tell them I was his brother? Am I OK with that? _Before I could decide and answer him, he walked toward everyone and hollered out, "Hey! Listen up! I got something to say." _Oh shit._

I walked over toward Leah. She stood up and met me, leaned over and said, "What's going on?" Before I could answer, Sam started talking.

"I just want everyone to know that I just found out that I have a brother. A brother by blood. We had the same father. " He looked over at me and gestured for me to come over. I walked to him. "This is Embry Call-Uley. My brother." He gave me a big hug right there in front of the whole pack. He let me go and went on, "We knew he belonged to one of the tribal families when he phased, but no one would say who. A few of us took a DNA test and just found out the results. I know there has been talk since he joined the pack, everyone wondering whose bastard kid he was. I never liked that word, and I don't want to hear it anymore. I know we are ALL family here, and I am proud of the way we all respect each other and care about each other. I just wanted to share my good news with all of you. OK, I'm done with sentimental shit. BACK TO THE PARTY!" Everyone started talking and he looked at me with a big grin and said, "Did I embarrass you enough?"

I smiled back and said, "Yea, thanks a lot, bro!" I shoved him and he shoved me back. He put his arm around Emily and walked over to the food table.

"I guess I don't have to ask how your talk with Sam went," Leah said with a smile.

I laughed. "Uh, yea! He did tell me he's happy he has a little brother, and so is Emily. It's weird, Leah. They are so accepting. I mean, I'm his dad's bastard child! How can they just be so . . ."

"Embry, I told you I hate that word and Sam said it, too. Stop calling yourself that. Of course they would accept you!"

I shook my head. "Whatever. I guess it's pretty cool, you know? I have a whole other family, now. I'm even going to be an uncle? How cool is that?"

She smiled. "Uncle Embry. That's so cute!" She bumped into me and laughed.

Jared and Paul were walking by and Paul said, "So now you're hot shit, huh? Sam's little brother. I guess I can't pick on you anymore because your big brother will kick my ass."

"Try it Paul, and I'll kick your ass myself. I don't need a big brother to protect me from you," I answered back. I stared him down then said, "Look, Paul. I know you're close to Sam. You don't have to be jealous, dude. I'm not looking for things to change, OK?"

He came at me and Jared held him back and said, "Knock it off, Paul! This is fucking stupid, bro." Paul shook Jared off and huffed, "Whatever!" and stalked off.

Jared looked at me and said, "Sorry, Embry. You're right. He's jealous. He likes being close to Sam. I guess he feels threatened by you. It's stupid." I nodded. "Look, it doesn't make a difference to me. I'm glad you found out, dude. Are you OK with it?"

I smiled and said, "Yea, I guess I am. I haven't had much of a chance to get used to it yet. But, I'm glad Sam is OK with it. I was kind of worried about how he would take it."

Jared nodded and said, "Yea. Well, you don't have to worry about that now." He laughed and shoved me. "I'm going to get me and Kim something to drink. See ya."

"Thanks, Jared. See ya," I said.

I looked at Leah and said, "Come on, I want to roast a marshmallow." We sat down by the fire and I picked up a stick and stuck two marshmallows on the end and held it near the fire. I looked around to see where everyone was. Seth was roasting marshmallows with Kim, and Jared plopped down beside her and kissed her on the cheek. He handed her a can of pop and she smiled. I noticed Jake and Bella get up and walk down the beach, probably looking for some privacy. Sam and Emily were cleaning up, like good parents. Quil was carrying a sleeping Claire toward his mom's car to take her home. Who knows where Paul stomped off to! The night was winding down. I hated for it to end because I was having such a good day with Leah.

"Embry! They're on fire!" Leah yelled at me.

I wasn't paying attention and the marshmallows were on fire! I pulled them out and blew on them to put them out. "Do you like your marshmallows well-done?" I asked her.

She laughed and said, "Sure." I pulled one of the marshmallows off, held it out and said, "Open up." She opened her mouth and I fed her the marshmallow. My fingers brushed her lips as she took the marshmallow and I felt a shiver go through my body. I just stared as she chewed the marshmallow and wiped the stickiness from her lips. I had the urge to lean forward and lick the marshmallow off of her lips, but I didn't. Her eyes were so beautiful in the firelight. I could see the flames reflected in her eyes and they looked like they were glowing. I felt like I was hypnotized or something. I couldn't look away.

She finished her marshmallow and looked at me. "Embry? You OK?" she asked softly. She put her hand on my leg and said again, "Embry?"

"Huh? Um, yea. I'm good." I stuttered. I had no idea what I had just said. I didn't even realize that I was still holding the stick with the other marshmallow on it until she took it from me. She slid the marshmallow off of the stick and held it out in front of my mouth. She smiled and said, "Open up." I did and she put the marshmallow in my mouth, her fingers brushing my lips. _Get a grip, man. _I felt my body responding to her in ways I wasn't ready to handle at this particular moment.

I chewed the marshmallow and she smiled at me again. I smiled back and wiped the stickiness off of my mouth with the back of my hand. I looked across the fire and noticed that Seth and Kim and Jared had disappeared. Seth was helping Sam load stuff in his car, and Jared and Kim had moved down toward the water and were making out. _Now there's a good idea._

I looked back at Leah and noticed her watching me very quietly. She scooted closer to me and put her arms around my neck. "Kiss me," she whispered. _She must be reading my mind. _I put my arms around her waist and pulled her as close as I could and kissed her. She kissed back, even teasing me with her tongue. She had her hands in my hair, tugging gently. I could have sat there all night just kissing her. Moving my lips over hers then moving them to her ear, and her throat and down her neck . . .

"Gross, guys! Come on!" Seth yelled at us.

Leah pulled away and said, "Isn't it past your bedtime, little brother?"

He snorted and said, "Whatever! This party's over, might as well go home." He took off toward the trail to his house.

I looked around and noticed that Jared and Kim were the only ones still here besides us. I looked back to Leah and said, "Where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?"

She smiled and said, "Right about here," as she put her lips back on mine. We sat there and made out for I don't have any idea how long. I didn't care. I even let my hands roam a little and she would put hers on mine and move them back to where she thought they should be. _What a fun game this is! _When we finally came up for air, I noticed that Jared and Kim were gone, and so was the fire. It was down to embers.

I said, "Wow! How long have we been making out?"

She laughed and said, "I don't know. Must have been a long time. I don't think I've ever made out that long. I think my lips are chapped!"

I looked at her and laughed, too. "They still look good to me." I bent forward and gently kissed them. "But it is late, and we should get home."

"Yea," she agreed. We kicked sand on the embers to make sure they were out then I took her hand and walked her to the truck. I drove her home and we kissed again before she got out. She smiled and said, "Goodnight, Embry."

"Goodnight." I watched her walk to the door and go inside.

_This girl is really getting to me. Big time!_


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Leah POV:

We spent the next couple of days just hanging out. We went to the beach and Seth and Embry played Frisbee while I read a book. Then we would all swim. We brought a cooler with lunch in it and we took a break to eat. Jared and Kim came down and hung out, too. I realized how little I knew Kim. I had stayed away from everyone for so long. It was nice to get to know her a little more. She was kind of shy, but she was coming out more and more.

The next day, Quil brought Claire. It was hilarious to watch those two. They tried to build a sandcastle, but Quil would get a wall built and Claire would knock it down. Then she would run toward the water and Quil would run after her and bring her back. He would set her down, and she would take off again, giggling the whole way.

Embry shook his head and laughed. "That guy has a lot more patience than me. I'm glad I didn't imprint on a toddler!"

I got really quiet. Just like I always did when I heard that word. He looked over at me and said, "Sorry, Leah. I know you hate that word. But I mean it. Oh my God! I couldn't stand it!"

I had to laugh then. He smiled and leaned over and kissed me. "Come on. Time for a swim." He pulled me up and out into the water. We played in the waves for awhile then walked back on shore and plopped down on our towels.

"Embwey, build a castle." Claire brought Embry her sand bucket and he smiled and said, "OK, Claire. You won't knock it down will you?" She gave him a big grin and shook her head. He just laughed and started filling the bucket with sand. I sat back and watched. She was so ornery, but so cute.

Seth talked Bella into coming to the beach with us while Jake finished a truck he was working on. He said he would come out when he was done. Seth was sitting with her and they were engrossed in some conversation about a book he had read. _Seth? Read a book?_

I had known Bella a long time. Her dad was my one of my dad's best friends. And Billy Black's. So, as kids, we were all thrown together. She was shy as a kid, and didn't always join in. Jake had always been in love with her for as long as I can remember. She didn't come around as much after her mom and dad split up. She came in the summers and we would see her. But Jake never gave up. When she moved in with her Dad, they struck up a friendship again. I had spent a lot of time not liking her when she was with her bloodsucker boyfriend, Edward, not only because he was, well a vampire, but because she was supposedly Jacob's best friend, but I always thought she treated him like shit. I was trying really hard to change my opinion since she dumped her bloodsucker and hooked up with Jake. I knew it was really important to him that we all like her. So, I was trying.

Just then Jake came running up behind Bella and plopped down beside her. She jumped a mile. "Hey Bells!" he laughed. She smacked him and then he kissed her. "So what' going on?" he asked us.

"Not much, bro. Just hanging," Embry said as he shoveled more sand into Claire's bucket. She had left him and was asking Quil for a juice box.

"Nice sand bucket, Em," Jake said with a grin. Embry slipped him the finger. Jake laughed and said, "Man, I need a swim. Anyone want to go into the water? Anyone, huh?" He looked at Bella, who said, "No way. Water is not my thing, you know that."

"OK, Seth. Me and you. Let's go!" Jake stood up and took off his t-shirt and threw it so it would land on Bella. She rolled her eyes at him, but I noticed she checked him out. Jake was pretty hot, I had to admit. He turned and ran to the water with Seth following him like a little puppy. It was pathetic, really. But kind of cute. Claire took off running to join them, so Quil picked her and took her into the water.

Embry looked at me. "Oh good grief. Go! Play!" I told him. He grinned, kissed me and took off to play with the other boys. I looked over at Bella and said, "I guess it takes some boys longer to grow up."

She smiled. "It's good to see you happy, Leah," Bella said.

"Um, thanks."

"I know it's none of my business, I'm sorry. It's just, I hated seeing you in so much pain," she said.

I nodded. _What do I say to that?_ "Embry has helped a lot."

We looked out at the guys in the water. Embry, Jake and Seth were body surfing on the waves. Quil had Claire in the shallow water and she was splashing him. "He's a great guy, Leah. And he is crazy about you."

I looked at her. "What?"

"Can't you tell? I've never seen Embry act this way around any of his bimbos," she answered. "He's got it bad, Leah. Are you OK with that?"

_I wasn't sure I wanted to have this conversation. Let alone with Bella. _"I like him a lot. But I don't want to rush into any relationship right now, you know. We're just hanging out and having fun. He knows that."

It got quiet between us so I picked up my book and pretended to read. I just didn't want to talk to her about me and Embry. She's right. It wasn't her business. Plus I didn't want to think about a relationship. I knew Embry wanted more. I could feel it. But, as always, the terror would creep in and I just couldn't think about it. She picked up her book and we sat there like that until the boys came up on the beach and shook water on us. They always found that hilarious, for some reason. Bella used Jake's t-shirt to dry off. Embry laid down next to me on his stomach and said, "I'm starving! I say it's time for pizza. Who's in?"

Jake, Quil and Seth said, "I'm in!" at the same time then they laughed.

Claire jumped on Embry's back and said, "I want pizza!" He looked at me, laughed and said, "Give Leah the lip, Claire." Claire gave me the sad puppy eyes and stuck her little lip out.

"Alright, alright! Call her off, let's go," I said laughing.

Claire clapped her hands and said, "YAY!" Quil picked her up off of Embry and we gathered all of our stuff and went back to my house to order pizza. It was a fun night just hanging out, eating pizza and laughing. I had missed out on so much . . . it felt great to just let go and have a good time.

Embry POV:

Jake and I had spent a lot of time in the garage the next couple of weeks so I didn't get to spend as much time with Leah as I would have liked to. Billy and Charlie had spread the word around and we always had work now! We had a car we were repairing right now for a friend of Charlie's, and it needed a lot work. Brakes, alternator, fan belt, you name it. I had put new brakes on the front and back and we were bleeding them right now. I hoped after this was done, we could take a break.

Jake looked at me and said, "Looks good. I'll take it for a test drive and see how it does." He was wiping his hands on a shop rag. "Then I gotta shower and get dressed. I gotta hot date tonight!" He grinned.

"Really? Where you taking her, dude?" I asked.

"We are going to the movies. I promised her I would take her on a real date since I've been working so much lately. Hey, why don't you call Leah and we'll all go?"

I smiled. _Might get me out of the doghouse, too. _Leah had been a little distant. I had been working a lot. "OK, let me call her while you take the car out."

He nodded and got into the car. It started right up and he took off down the road.

I dialed Leah's number on my cell phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, baby. Jake and Bella are going to the movies tonight, and he invited us to go along. Wanna double with them?"

She was quiet for a moment. _Uh-oh. Not a good sign._ "Um, yea, I guess. What time?" she asked.

"I don't know. I forgot to ask! We just finished up this car we were working on and he took it for a test run. He said as soon as came back he was going to shower and get dressed then go. So, about an hour, maybe? Is that OK?"

"Yea. I'll be ready. See ya then. " Click. _What's up with that?_

I put our tools away and cleaned up a little while I waited for Jake to come back. He drove the car into the drive and turned it off. He walked in and said, "Works great! I'll call the guy in the morning and tell him to come and pick it up." He put the keys with the paperwork on the bench. "So you call Leah? Is she up for the movies?"

"She said she was. I told her about an hour, is that OK?"

"Yea."

"She sounded weird on the phone. I'm not sure what that's all about," I told him.

"She pissed because you've been working so much?"

"I don't know. I guess I'll find out," I told him with a smile. "I'm heading home to clean up. Meet you at the movies?"

"Yep. Starts at seven. See ya!" Jake took off for the house.

I got in the truck and headed home to clean up.

Leah POV:

I hung up the phone and just sat there and looked at it. _The movies? With Jake and Bella? Were we dating now? _I had no idea what was going on with us. Ever since that night we had pizza with everyone, I had hardly seen Embry. I know he and Jake had a lot of work, which was great. Embry loved working on cars, and being with Jake, and he needed the money. But I guess I was feeling a little neglected. I didn't have as much to keep me busy.

Gave me too much time to think. I hated thinking. Time to think about Sam and Emily, and how I was getting over that whole situation, but I hadn't made any strides to talk to either of them. I still avoided them like the plague.

I also had too much time to think about Embry, and where this was going. If it was going anywhere. I liked him, I knew I did. He was a great guy! He was fun, he made me laugh, but I could talk to him, too. And he was pretty hot, I had to admit. I loved kissing him and daydreamed sometimes about doing more than just kissing. I knew I wanted to be with Embry physically, but emotionally, I was still a wreck. I was really into letting go and just enjoying the physical side of our relationship and not thinking about the emotional side. I really did not want to fall in love with this guy.

I finally got up and tried to find something to wear. I picked out a red tank top and a pair of blue jean shorts that were a little too short and put them on. I looked in the mirror and laughed. I looked like one of Embry's bimbos! He would probably LOVE this outfit. I took them off and threw them on the floor. I wanted to look my age, so I pulled out a sundress that Mom had bought me last week. I wondered then why she bought it. I never went anywhere. I put it on, and I really liked it. It was black with white flowers embroidered around the bottom. It looked good with my black hair, but it showed a little more cleavage than I would have liked. I didn't even realize I had cleavage! Hanging out with boys all the time, I dressed very simply in t-shirts or tank tops and shorts. At 108 degrees, I wasn't real comfortable in much else.

I brushed my hair until it shone, and added a little eye shadow, mascara and lip gloss. _Not bad. _I took a minute to really look at myself in the mirror. I couldn't quite see what Embry saw. He always said I was _beautiful_ or _gorgeous_ or my personal favorite, _hot_! I didn't see that, but I did feel, well, pretty. I heard him pull up in the truck downstairs. I added silver earrings and a bracelet and ran downstairs just as he knocked on the door.

I opened the door and there he was. He had on his khaki shorts and a black v-neck shirt that hugged his body. _Wow, he even smells good! Is that cologne? _"Hey," I said.

A slow smile grew on his face and he said softly, "Hey." He stared at me for a moment and said, "Wow, Leah. You look really . . . beautiful!"

I smiled. _Wow! A "beautiful." _"Thanks. I'm ready to go, if you are," I said.

He stepped inside and took me in his arms. "In a minute," he said as he bent his head then put his lips on mine. He kissed me very slowly, like he was trying to savor every second. I had my hands on his shoulders and I could feel him quiver a little. He pulled back and smiled. "I've really missed you, Leah. I hate not seeing you every day."

"Me, too," I whispered. He kissed me again and I felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled the phone out and looked at it. "It's Jake," he informed me. He flipped it open and said, "What's up?" He kept his arm around me and kept me close to him. _Wow, he smells so good. _I leaned in a little closer.

He listened and said, "Oh, OK. No problem. Tell her to get better. Hey! Um, I'm taking tomorrow off, is that OK with you? Since we finished that car, and no one brought anything to us today . . . yea, OK. Thanks, bro. See ya."

He put the phone back into his pocket and said, "Bella came home from work sick, so they're not going. But we can still go if you want to? I mean, you look so pretty, I wouldn't mind showing you off a little." He grinned at me.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Yea, I guess. Maybe we could go get something to eat instead? I don't really like going to the movies much. Not since me and Sam . . . well, you know. We used to go every Friday."

"Sure, that's fine. No problem. Any place in particular?" he asked.

"Not really. I'm not picky. I do like Mexican though."

"Mexican, it is!" he took my hand and we walked to the truck. He opened the door for me and then went around and got into the driver's seat. He said he only knew of one Mexican restaurant in Forks. I told him that was the one. "My mom and I go there sometimes. One of the nurses at the hospital took her there one time, and she really liked it."

As we drove to Forks, we chatted a little. He told me about the car he just finished and I told him that I had decided to sign up for a couple more online college classes. "I'm taking an American History class and a math class. I'm not crazy about the math class, but I need to take it so I might as well get it over with."

"You need to take it?" he asked.

"Yea, um, I've been thinking about getting a degree . . . and teaching at the school in LaPush."

"Really?" he said as he parked the truck at the restaurant. "When did you decide that?"

"Well, I've had a lot of time on my hands lately and I've done a lot of thinking. I need to do something, and I remember how Dad used to talk about how the school was going to need more teachers. The ones we have are getting older and not many younger people have been interested in teaching. So, I just thought, maybe I could do that. I'm taking online classes now, but I've been thinking about checking out a couple of the local schools and seeing what they offer."

He got out of the truck and opened her door for me. I climbed out and he shut the door and leaned down and put a quick kiss on my lips. "I think it's great, Leah. You'll make a really hot teacher!"

I rolled my eyes and smacked him. "You WOULD say that."

We walked into the restaurant and were seated in a booth. I sat down and Embry scooted in beside me. He leaned close and said, "Do I make you nervous being this close?"

"A little. But I kind of like it," I admitted. He laughed and picked up the menu. We ordered our food and ate 4 baskets of chips and salsa. He asked me more about wanting to teach and I told him what I had been thinking. I asked him what he wanted to do.

"Well, I want to be done with school, but I promised my mom I would graduate. I need to keep that promise, so I'm going back for my senior year, I guess." He took a drink of water then said, "Jake isn't going back. He has decided that he's going to get his GED and keep working on cars. I'd like to do that , too, but . . . Anyway, we've been talking about saving some of our money toward buying a shop of our own."

"Really? That's a great idea! You both love working on cars, and you're good at it. You guys could make a pretty good living doing that." The waiter brought our food and set it down. I picked up my fork and dug in. I was hungry.

"Yea, I guess. I mean, it's not like we have many choices, do we? We can't leave the rez and go off to college or anything. Werewolf rules."

I sipped my drink and thought about that. He was right. As a werewolf we were bound to the reservation to protect it. We could only go so many miles away from it before we were drawn back. I used to hate that rule the most. All I wanted to do was run far, far away and never look back. Now, well now things were different.

"You got awful quiet over there. You OK?" he asked me.

I smiled. "Just thinking how I used to hate that rule the most. I wanted so badly to run away and never look back. Now, here I am thinking of becoming a teacher at the rez school. Weird how things change, huh?" I said.

He nodded and shoved the last of his taco into his mouth. I laughed and said, "Well, I guess not everything changes. You eat like an animal!"

He growled at me and I kept laughing. "Stop it!"

We finished our meals and Embry paid the bill and we got back into the truck. "Thanks, Embry for dinner. It was really good. And I enjoyed talking to you. You know, I haven't even told my mom yet about being a teacher."

"Really?" he said as he started the engine and took off on the road back to LaPush. "Why not?"

"I don't know. I think because I used to think I wanted to be a nurse like her. We used to talk about it all the time, and she seemed excited that I wanted to do that. But now, I can't go to nursing school. And, I supposed I just don't want to disappoint her."

"Well, I'm sure she'll understand, Leah. At least she knows your . . . uh, situation. My mom knows nothing. And she keeps harping on me to finish high school, because I need a good education. Why? I can't go to college! She just doesn't understand, and I can't tell her. It sucks."

I nodded. "Yea, that would suck."

We got quiet for awhile, lost in thought. Then Embry asked, "Where to now? Any place in particular?"

"I don't care. Wherever."

"Well, I know a little spot where . . ."

"Really, Embry? One of your famous make out spots?" I said to him.

"Well you said 'wherever.' When a girl says that, it means she wants to make out," he answered.

"Geez, Embry. I heard a lot of stories about you, but I really didn't believe them all. Maybe I should have. Do you have any idea how many girls you've made out with?"

He looked a little uncomfortable at that question. "Yea, I do. But you won't like it."

"Really? That many?"

"It's not really that many. I mean, considering there aren't that many girls at our school, but some of them go to other schools . . ."

I cut him off with, "HOW MANY?"

"43," he said sheepishly.

"What? Did you say, 43?" I said in absolute awe.

He looked at me and said, "Yea. Are you pissed?"

_I don't know, was I? He made out with 43 girls! _"Am I number 43?" I asked.

He nodded with a smile. "Come on, Leah. I told you you wouldn't like it. I mean I've been counting since the 7th grade. It's not like that's all in the last year or something. I mean, 43 girls in 5 years, that's not a big deal."

"Well it must be to you considering you kept count. God Embry! How gross!" I couldn't believe his ego.

He pulled the truck over and stopped then looked at me and said, "You're really pissed, aren't you? I can't believe this!"

"Yea I'm pissed! I told you before I'm not one of your bimbos, Embry. And are we just talking about making out, as in kissing, or we talking about going further? How many of those girls went all the way for you, huh? How many did you have sex with? Are you keeping a count of those too?" I yelled at him. _Man, I was really losing it! Why?_

"Are you fucking kidding me? God, Leah! What kind of an asshole do you really think I am? Yea, I like kissing girls, big deal. I like being around girls and making them laugh and having a good time. So sue me. But I am not the kind of guy that goes out with a girl to put another notch in the bedpost, as they say. So I kissed 43 girls. Big fucking deal! But I am not like my father, Leah. I don't fuck a girl and dump her, OK? I can't believe that you would think that!" He jumped out of the truck and slammed the door so hard I thought the truck would tip over. He walked out in front of the truck and put his hands on his hips. _Huh. He looks just like Sam when he does that. I never noticed that before._

I felt awful. Why did I get so mad at him? Didn't I just decide tonight that I didn't want to fall in love with this guy? That I just wanted to have a little fun? Then I start a fight over how many girls he's been with. God, what a bitch I am! I sat there for a minute to give him a chance to calm down. I opened the door and got out of the truck. I walked over to him and stopped in front of him. "I'm sorry, Embry. I don't know why I got so worked up back there. It was pretty stupid of me. I don't have a lot of dating experience, you know. One guy compared to your 43 girls. I guess I got a little intimidated."

He looked down at me, but didn't say anything. I didn't know what else to say or do, so I just stood there. Finally, he said slowly, "Leah, I have tried to explain to you that you are different than all of those other girls to me. That was just playing around, nothing serious. I never did anything to any of those girls that they didn't want to do. And, for the record, I didn't have sex with any of them. I could have, but I didn't. I am not like him, Leah."

"Embry, I'm so sorry. I know you're not like that," I said.

"I want you to know right now, before this goes any further, that I haven't even looked at another girl since I started hanging out with you. I want to be with you, Leah, because I like you. Do you get that? I like being with you. And yes, I really like making out with you. Can't help that! Like I said, I like kissing girls, and you are no exception. But Leah, you are going to have to start trusting me or this isn't going to work. "

I nodded. "I know, Embry, you're right. I don't know why I got so pissed, really. I guess I got jealous or something. I don't know." I reached out and touched his arm and said, "Embry, can we forget all of this happened and go back to our very nice date?" I looked up at him and smiled.

He gave me a small smile, "It was pretty nice, wasn't it?"

I nodded and stepped closer to him. "I promise to be good." I held out my hand. He took it and I led him back to the driver's side of the truck. I opened the door and got in, and he followed. I didn't go to the other side. I stayed in the middle, close to him. He smiled and started the truck. He pulled back on the road and I laid my head on his shoulder as he drove. "Is that spot very far away?" I asked him.

I heard him laugh and he said, "No, just up the road. Are you sure?"

"Mmmmm, yes."

He pulled into a little lane and drove down it and parked. I reached out and shut off the engine. He looked at me and smiled. I put my arms around his neck and said, "Do you still want to make out?"

He grinned and put his arms around me and pulled me close. "What do you think?" he asked as he leaned forward to kiss me. I gave into the feeling of kissing him. Just feeling his lips on mine, his hands on my back, burning through the thin material of my sundress. I opened my mouth to him, and he slid his tongue in ever so slightly to tease me. I pushed myself closer to him, and wound my fingers into his hair. I was very physically attracted to Embry. My body was reacting in ways it never had before. It was frightening and exciting at the same time. His hands ran up and down my back, especially where there should have been a bra strap. _I think he just figured out I wasn't wearing a bra tonight._ This sundress was a halter style that tied at my neck. I didn't want my bra straps to show, so I didn't wear one.

His lips left mine to travel down my throat and onto my neck and down to my shoulder. I tipped my head back and sighed. He put his mouth near my ear and whispered, "Leah, you're so beautiful . . ." and he kissed my ear. I put my hands on his face and brought his lips back to mine. It felt so good to just let go and feel. I wanted to feel his lips on mine, his hands all over me. I was getting carried away, and I didn't care. I pulled back and took a hold of his t-shirt and pulled it up and over his head then threw it on the floor. I leaned forward and kissed him on his chest and ran my hands over his shoulders and down his arms. I wanted to feel his skin. I wanted to feel it on mine. _Whoa, girl. Slow down._ I kissed him on the lips and sucked his bottom lip into my mouth. I could feel myself getting more aggressive, but for some reason, I couldn't stop! I pulled back and reached up to my neck and took a hold of the ties on my sundress. I could see Embry's eyes grow huge as I pulled and the ties came undone. I looked into his eyes as I let the straps fall. I leaned closer so I could feel his skin on mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed closer. I put my lips on his and devoured his mouth. I wanted him to want me. I wanted to drive him crazy! I reached down and touched the zipper on Embry's shorts and . . .

"Leah! Leah, honey, stop," he said against my lips. _What? Stop? Why? _I pulled back and said, "What? Why? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, God no!" he said with a smile. He was trying to keep his eyes on my face and not my chest. "Baby, what's going on? I'm just kind of surprised here, I guess. "

"Why? Embry, I don't want to think, I just want to feel! What's wrong with that? Come on! Kiss me, touch me, it's OK." I took his hand and placed it on my chest. "Please, Embry," I leaned in and kissed him. He couldn't resist and his hand moved over me until I was crazy with desire for him. I reached again for the zipper on his shorts and his hand stopped me. We were both panting. "Embry! What the hell is wrong with you? I feel like I'm raping you!"

"Leah, I don't want you to do something you will regret tomorrow. Believe me, this is very hard for me. I want you, Leah. I really, really want you. And I don't want to, and have you be upset about it, you know?"

I looked at him and said, "What the hell, Embry? When did you turn into such a girl?" I shook my head and grabbed the straps to my dress and retied them. "Take me home." I slid over to the other side of the truck.

"Now wait a minute, Leah. You're not going to get pissed and clam up, OK? I'm trying to do something nice here!"

"Oh yea, rejection feels so fucking 'nice.' "

"REJECTION? Are you fucking kidding me? God, Leah! Give me a fucking clue here will ya? A half hour ago you jumped down my throat for being with 42 other girls, and you told me you weren't like them. Now you're all over me, taking off your clothes! I have no idea what you want, Leah. Help me out here, will ya?"

I closed my eyes and laid my head back. _Oh God, he's right. What is wrong with me? I'm acting like such a whore! _"I don't know, Embry. I don't know what's going on with me." I opened my eyes and looked at him. "I really, really like you. I want to be with you. But, I just am sick to death of worrying about all of the 'falling in love' bullshit. I don't want to think, I just wanted to give in and just feel what it's like to kiss you and touch you. I feel such a physical pull to you, I can't explain it. And it feels really good. I wanted more of it. I'm sorry, Embry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"Well, I'm uncomfortable right now, but in a good way, if you know what I mean," he said with a smile.

I got what he meant and rolled my eyes and laughed.

He scooted closer to me and put his hand on the side of my face. "Look, baby. I don't have a problem being with you. I just don't want to go too fast and lose you. I don't want you to do something you will regret then not want to be with me. And, I don't really want our first time to be in the truck, you know? You're too important to me. Understand?" I nodded. "I am not rejecting you. Not at all. There is no one I want to be with more than you." He leaned over and kissed me very softly on the lips. "OK?"

"Yea, I understand. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to act like such a slut. But . . . I kind of liked it."

He laughed and said, "Yea, me too! Too much." He leaned forward and kissed me again. We sat there for some time just kissing each other, lightly, playfully. Not too intense. He pulled back and put his forehead on mine and said softly, "I don't know how on earth I will get to sleep tonight. I know all I will see is you dropping those straps and letting your dress fall. God, Leah, you are a beautiful girl. I almost lost it right there." He was rubbing my back with his hands while he talked.

I smiled. _Good. You just think about that. _"I know you don't want to rush into anything, physically, I mean. I'll try to be good, but I can't promise."

He put his head up and looked at me. "Oh man. I'm going to be taking a LOT of cold showers."


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Embry POV:

Leah was baking cookies, so I was sitting at the table eating them while she baked them. "Geez, Embry! Save some for Seth or he will be pissed. These are his favorite."

I laughed and popped another one in my mouth. "But they're so good!" I said with my mouth full. I loved cookies right from the oven. Especially chocolate chip, because they were so gooey and good. Just then my phone rang. I swallowed quickly and said, "Hello?" It was Emily.

"Hey Embry. Got the message you left about needing a haircut. I'm free now if you are," she said. _Oh hell_. I forgot that I called her earlier this morning and left a message.

"Um, well, Em, I left that message earlier. I'm with Leah right now. Maybe I can get that haircut tomorrow?"

Leah said quickly, "Embry! It's OK, I'll go with you."

"Uh, hold on a sec, Em." I covered the phone and said, "What? You'll go with me? To Sam and Emily's? Are you sure?"

"Yes! That was the last tray of cookies. Just tell her we are on our way and I'll explain," she said quickly.

"Emily? Yea, I guess I can come right now. Be over in a few, OK? Bye."

Leah quickly took the last of the cookies off of the tray and then set the tray in the sink. "Let me wash my hands and I'll be ready to go," she said to me as she turned the water on and added soap to her hands.

"To Sam and Emily's? You never go there, Leah, unless you have to. What's up?" I asked her.

She wiped her hands on a dish towel and said, "Come on. Let's walk, and I'll tell you on the way," she said. Sam's house wasn't that far from the Clearwater's.

We walked out the back door and Leah started, "I have been thinking about this for awhile, Embry. I need to go over and talk to Emily. I feel so much better now. Like I left all of that shit out on the beach that first night we talked. I know that Sam and Emily never meant to hurt me. I mean, I was hurt. I felt like I died. But, now I feel alive again! I feel like I can handle things, you know? Especially if you are there with me." She squeezed my hand. "I miss Emily. We were really close before . . . well, before everything happened. And, I guess I'm wondering if there is any way that we can maybe be friends again."

This girl just kept amazing me. I looked over at her and told her that. She smiled that smile that I was really growing to love. "Thanks. You helped you know. I don't think I would be where I am without you."

I stopped walking. She walked a few steps then turned around. "Embry? You OK? I didn't freak you out by saying that did I?" Leah asked her face full of worry.

"No, I'm not freaked out. It's just . . . I don't know, I never felt really needed by anyone before," I said slowly.

"Well, I need you," Leah said quietly as she put her arms around my neck and pressed close to me. She pressed her lips to mine and there it was. That fire that spread through me anytime I touched her. I needed her, too. Much more than I thought. It scared the piss out of me, and yet thrilled me at the same time. I kissed her back, until we were both breathless.

She pulled away and looked at me. "Emily is waiting for you." I bent my head and kissed her neck and whispered in her ear, "Screw the haircut. This is much more fun!"

She finally broke the hold and looked at me. "I know it's more fun, but now that I made up my mind to go, I really want to get this over with, so let's go!" She grabbed my hand and dragged me after her.

"Ah come on," I whined. "Can we make out later?"

"Yes, if you are good boy, we can make out later. I promise," she answered with a grin.

Leah POV:

Emily already had the chair sitting on the porch for Embry's haircut. We approached the porch and he hollered out, "Hey Emily!"

She walked outside with her scissors in her hand and said, "Hey Embry! And . . . Leah?" The shock registered on her face

"Hi Emily. I hope you don't mind that I tagged along," I said.

"Um, no, that's fine." She recovered quickly and said to Embry, "Sit down and let's get started." I walked over to the porch swing and sat down.

Embry sat down and Emily took a spray bottle that was sitting next to the chair and used it to get Embry's hair wet so it would cut easier. Embry wore his hair longer than the other guys. I liked that. He always had a swoop of bangs on his forehead, and when he was a wolf, they were there too!

Emily combed and cut until there was quite a bit of hair on the floor of the porch. She handed him a mirror and said, "How's that? Short enough, or do you want more cut?"

He looked in the mirror and said, "Nope, looks good. Leah? Looks good? Come on, you can say it. I look hot, right?" He took another look in the mirror and said, "Oh yea, I do."

Emily and I both rolled our eyes and laughed. He stood up and hugged Emily. "Thanks, Em. Great job as always."

"Yea, you owe that hotness to me, baby, don't forget it," she said to him. That made me laugh. She took the broom that was leaning against the house and started sweeping the hair off the porch.

He walked over, plopped on the swing and put his arm around me. "Come on, tell me I look hot. I know you want to," he said slowly with this infuriating grin on his face. I couldn't help but laugh at him.

I looked at him and said, "Oh baby, you are soooo hot! I can't keep my hands off of you."

"I knew it," he said, so full of himself.

I smacked him and he laughed. Then he leaned over and kissed me. In front of Emily. "Embry, we're not alone," I said quickly.

I glanced over at Emily who was staring at us. I smiled at her and raised my eyebrows. "Um, Emily, do you think we could talk?" I asked.

Just then, Sam drove in. He pulled the car around to the back. "He bought me garden supplies today. He pulls around back to unload them," Emily explained.

Embry jumped up and said, "I will go help him unload while you two have a chat." He took off around the house.

Emily stood there for a second just looking at me. "You sure?" I nodded. She walked over and sat down on the porch swing next to me.

"Emily, I want you to know that I am so sorry for the way I have treated you. I know that none of what happened was your fault. Or Sam's, really. It just happened." I proceeded to tell her about the talk I had with Embry on the beach that night. "He really helped me to dump all of that bullshit that I was carrying. I have felt dead inside for too long. It's time to be alive again, and I hope, somehow, maybe, we could be friends again? I really miss you. A lot." I could feel the tears in my eyes slide down my cheek.

She had tears, too, as she said, "Oh Leah, I have missed you so much!" She pulled me into a hug. We held each other for awhile and cried. Then she pulled back and said, "I have felt so terrible for so long. Every time I looked at you, the pain was so raw. I hated being the reason for that pain. So has Sam. I know that it killed him, Leah. He felt so guilty. But we are in a good place now, and with the baby coming . . ." she stopped.

I smiled. "It's OK, Emily. You can talk about the baby. I'm excited for you! I really am. I am ready to move on with my life. And . . . Embry's been a big part of that."

"Yea, what the hell is up with that, Leah? Embry? I mean, he's cute and loveable, but he's got a reputation with the ladies . . ."

"I know, I know. Believe me I know! But, it's different. It's like there is something drawing us together. We can barely keep our hands off of each other. When he kisses me . . . well, I loved Sam very much, but I don't remember ever feeling quite like this. Oh, I'm sorry. Was that weird to say?"

She laughed. "No, actually it wasn't. It's girl talk. Something I am DYING for!"

I laughed this time. "Me too! I love being a part of the pack, but hanging out with all of these guys all of the time, well, sometimes it would be really nice to hang out with another girl. Emily, I have really missed you. Do you think you can forgive me?" I asked.

"Forgive you? There's nothing to forgive. I should be asking YOU to forgive ME! I hurt you so much, Leah. And I can't tell you how it has killed me every day since."

We hugged and cried-again. "I'm so glad you came over today, Leah. And I want, more than anything, for us to be friends. . . family again. Please?"

"Yes! That's what I want too. Do you think Sam will be OK with it?" I asked. I didn't want to hurt him by being around.

"Of course he will. Because I will tell him he will."

Leah POV:

We walked back to my house, and I was sharing my little talk with Emily. "We hugged and cried. God, Embry, I can't believe it. I think we can really be friends again. I missed her so much. I didn't realize just how much until today."

"I'm really glad, baby. You two need each other, and I'm glad you can put this behind you."

"I'm starving! How about I make us some dinner?" I asked as we walked into the house.

"Sure. I don't pass up good food," he said.

I walked into the kitchen and found a note on the table. "_Seth is out on patrol until ten and I got called into work. Love, Mom_" _All alone here with Embry. _I felt excitement run through me, mixed with terror. Part of me wanted to stay in control, but the other part of me loved the feeling of being reckless, and abandoning any reasoning and just . . . feeling.

He walked into the kitchen and said, "What's up?"

"Um, Mom left me a note. She got called into work, and Seth is on patrol until 10." I looked up at him, and I could imagine him having the same thoughts in his head that I just had. I quickly walked over to the fridge and began pulling food out to make us some dinner. "How about tacos? Is that OK?"

I turned around to see Embry staring at me. Really staring at me. "Um, yea, that's fine. Is there something I can do to help? I really need to stay busy right now."

I smiled and said, "Yea, I get that. OK, I will fry up the hamburger, and you can cut up the lettuce and tomatoes. How's that?"

"That's good. Let's get started."

We cooked side-by-side in the kitchen. It was kind of fun. I decided to get our minds off other things, I would tell him some stories about when I was a little girl. I told him about the time Seth and I first went camping with my dad. "Seth saw a skunk in the woods, and he thought it was a 'kitty'! I mean, he was only 4. Of course he went to pet it and it sprayed him! It was horrible! He stunk for a week. And then I fell down this hill and landed right into a patch of poison ivy. Oh it was awful! I had it everywhere! Dad decided that maybe we were a little too young for camping and he should wait a few years to try again. I think we were 12 and 7 the next time we went. It worked out a little better that time."

Embry laughed and then asked, "You enjoyed being with your dad, didn't you? He was a good man, Leah."

I looked at him as I put the food on the kitchen table. "Yes, he was. I miss him terribly. Come on, enough of this. Let's eat."

We sat down at the table and ate. And ate. And ate! "God, Leah, these are so good. I hate being so hungry all the time. I feel like I never get enough to eat."

I laughed as I began to clear the table. Embry helped and we had the kitchen cleaned up quickly. Maybe too quickly.

I walked out into the living room and looked at the couch. _Maybe I should sit in the chair instead. _I knew I should, but I went for the couch anyway. Embry followed and sat down in the chair. I smiled. At least one of us was _trying _to be good.

"You want to watch a movie or something?" I asked. I looked over at him. I could tell by the look on his face he wasn't thinking about TV. "Embry?"

"Leah, I don't think I can do this. I don't think I can sit here in this chair and pretend to watch TV when all I can think about is kissing you." His eyes were so dark. They were really beautiful . . . "Maybe I should go," he said as he stood up.

"No, Embry. Don't go!" I stood up and blocked his way to the door. "I know. I feel the same way." I took his hand and led him back to the couch. I sat down and he sat beside me and took me in his arms and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hung on for dear life. I let go and gave into the feeling of being out of control. It felt so good! I felt so free! Kind of like when I jumped off of the cliff. I let Embry run his hands all over me and I twisted my fingers into his hair and pulled. For some reason it didn't scare me. It excited me! I pulled his t-shirt over his head and threw it on the floor. I ran my hands all over his back and shoulders. His lips were back on mine and I surrendered to him. I dug my nails into his shoulders and he shuddered. _Oh how I want to _. . .

Suddenly I heard the garage door go up and Mom pull her car in. "My mom's home!" He instantly rolled off of me and grabbed his t-shirt. I sat up and pulled my shirt back into place and tried to smooth my hair down.

I looked over at him as he sat in the chair. He smiled at me and I smiled back. My heart was racing!

Mom came through the door and it sounded like she had grocery bags, so she must have headed for the kitchen. I turned on the TV.

"Leah? You home?" I heard her call.

"Yea, Mom. Living room," I answered, trying to keep the sheer panic from my voice. _What would have happened had she not come home when she did? Would we have . . ._

Mom walked in and said, "Hey, kids. How are you?"

"Good, we're good," I answered. "You?"

"I'm exhausted! I brought in a few groceries, but nothing that has to be put away right now. I just want a hot bath and then I am going to bed. Twelve hour shifts are bad enough, but then when you get called in on your day off, well, that's too much for me. I'm getting too old for this crap," Sue said. "Goodnight, you two!" she called as she went up the stairs.

"Goodnight!" we called together.

Once Mom was upstairs, he looked over at me and said slowly, "Leah, what happened . . ."

"I know. What is going on between us?" I asked. "It's getting really hot!"

He got up and came over to sit next to me on the couch. "I was talking to Sam about it. I hope you don't mind. I didn't give him details. I didn't want him to kick my ass. I told him that maybe I am starting to care about you. You know what I mean?"

I just looked at him. I couldn't say anything.

"Leah, I know I care about you. I think about you all the time, and not just because you're so hot that you drive me crazy! I think about things I want to tell you, or ask you about. I like to make you laugh. I want to take you cliff diving again just to watch you get so excited. Like I told you before, I've never been in love, but I think . . . maybe . . ."

I put my hand on his mouth and said quietly, "Don't' say it, Embry. Please."

"Why?"

"I can't. I just can't. Not yet."

"Because of the imprinting thing? Leah, come on! If I haven't imprinted by now, maybe I never will! You can't tell me that you are going to throw away a chance of us being happy because of that?" He put his hands in his hair and pulled. "Grrrrrrrrr. Leah, look. What if YOU imprint on someone? Have you ever thought of that? Because I have. It would kill me! I might even have to kill the guy. But I am willing to take that chance, Leah."

Tears ran down my cheeks as I shook my head. "Embry, give me some time, OK? Just let me try to get over this."

"Give you time." He smiled and shook his head. "In the meantime, you want me to go on kissing you and touching you and it just mean nothing, right? Isn't that funny? That's the way I used to be with girls. I wanted to make out with them, but as soon as they wanted to get all emotional, I backed off. Guess I deserve this, huh?"

"I'm sorry, Embry. You're right, I shouldn't be leading you on. It's just that it feels so good to be kissed and . . ."

"And why does it feel so good? You think this is just physical? It feels good to me because of the way I feel about you! Are you just looking for a good time here, Leah? Am I being a fucking idiot thinking it should be more than that? Cause I can do that. I'm an expert in 'love em and leave em.'"

"No! I'm not just 'looking for a good time.' God, Embry, quit being such an ass. Why can't you understand that I am scared to death! I'm trying to get past it because I think you are worth it, but I just don't know how. I thought we agreed to being 'friends with benefits' or whatever. Why are you trying to make it more?"

"Why?" He put his head down and shook it. Then he looked up at me and said, "Right now, I don't know why. I don't even know why I'm here. Look, I hope you figure out what you want soon, Leah, cause you are making me crazy! I'm out of here." He stood up and walked to the door.

"Embry! Wait!"

He stopped at the door and turned around. I walked over to him and said, "I'm sorry, Embry. I don't mean to be such a basket case. Please don't give up on me. "

He gave me a small smile. He kissed me on top of the head and said softly, "I won't. But please hurry, Leah!"


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Embry POV:

Things had settled down a little between Leah and me. We had developed a comfortable kind of friendship . . . with benefits. We hung out and talked, we went to the beach, we patrolled and we made out, but not quite as aggressively. Although I knew Leah was holding back. I could tell she didn't want anything more emotionally from me, but physically she was hot! It took everything I had to keep from letting her go. I didn't know how many more cold showers I could stand. I was so close to just giving in, but I couldn't take the chance of losing her. I felt more than friendship for her. I knew that. But I didn't want to try to talk to her about it again. I knew she didn't want to hear it. So, we were trying hard to take it easy and just enjoy being together.

I was patrolling with Quil one night and couldn't get Leah out of my head, as usual. _"Things are getting hot between you and Leah, bro! Can you think about something else?"_

"_Sorry, Quil. Man, how do you do it? Don't you ever think about being with a girl? I mean, I know you love Claire and all, but, come on, you're still a dude! You could make out with girls now, and she'd never know."_

"_Yea, I know. But as soon as I imprinted on Claire, it's like, other girls just don't exist for me. It's weird really. I mean, you know how I used to be. I loved looking at babes! I really liked kissing the few girls I actually had a chance to be with. But, now, I don't know. It's just turned off for now, I guess. I'm content to wait."_

"_Glad it was you, bro, and not me. I'm having way too much fun!" _Quil tried very hard to concentrate on Claire playing on the beach to shut me out. She was cute, but man, to have to wait for like 14 or 15 years to even kiss a girl? That would be hell for me.

I was telling Jake about that the next day in the garage. "Yea, I don't get it. Why would he imprint on someone so young? Doesn't make any sense. I mean, he's great with her. And he seems to be handling it OK, I guess," Jake said.

"Hand me that socket wrench, will ya?" I asked Jake. He put it in my hand and I went back to work. "Yea, better him than me, that's all I gotta say." Jake laughed and added, "Me, too. I love being with Bella, in every way."

I looked over at him and saw that grin on his face. I smiled and stood up. "You crack me up. All those times I tried to set you up on dates, and you were too scared to go. Then Bella came back and you were too in love with her to see straight. Now look at you. You're getting more action than I am!"

He laughed. "Well, I guess I'm glad I didn't go, Embry. I'm glad I waited for Bella. She's all I ever wanted. Sometimes it scares me, you know? Like I'll wake up, and it will all have been a dream or something, and she'll be gone."

"Yea, no chance of that, Jake. You guys are 'imprints' remember? Mates for life. At least you know that," I said. I bent back down to finish what I was working on.

"That still bugs you, doesn't it?" Jake asked.

"Me, yea, a little. But for Leah? It's all she thinks about. It's killing me, dude." I stood up and said, "Jake, she is all over me! She wants me all the time, but I keep holding back. And I don't know how much longer I can hold out. I can't take any more cold showers!"

"So, why are you holding back? I mean, dude, it is so . . . well . . . it's . . ."

"Jake, are you blushing? Come on!"

He rolled his eyes and grinned. "It's fucking awesome, Embry. I mean it."

We laughed and I shoved him out of the way so I could get to the bench. "Geez, Jake. Find something else to do, will ya? I gotta get this done and get out of here."

He said, "OK. I need to run into town and get some parts. I'll be back."

"Yea, whatever. Take your time!" I called after him. This conversation was getting to me. I needed to think about something else – like NOW!

Jake had been gone for maybe 15 minutes. I was behind the truck working when I heard Leah call out, "Embry? You here?"

"Yea, back here, babe," I answered. She walked around the truck and said, "Brought you some cookies."

I looked up with a grin to see her standing there holding out a plastic Ziploc bag of cookies. "Awesome! I was just thinking about getting a snack. Let me clean up a little." I got up and went to the hose outside the garage. We were too lazy to walk all the way to the house, so we kept some Lava soap by the hose so we could wash our hands when we needed to. I cleaned the grease off as best I could and dried them off. I walked back into the garage to find Leah looking at Jake's motorcycle.

"You ever been on a bike?" I asked her. She looked at me over her shoulder, smiled and said, "Nope." She held out the bag of cookies for me and I dug in. "Oh man, Leah, these are good," I said with my mouth full. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like them." She handed me the bag and I took another cookie out.

"You want to go for a ride?" I asked her.

"What? On that?" she said as she looked at the motorcycle. "I don't know," she said slowly. She was thinking about it, I could see she was.

"Come on. Bella has one, too, that one," I said as I pointed to the other motorcycle, "but she never rides it. She says she likes to ride with Jake because he goes a lot faster than she would. So, she told me to take it out whenever I want. Jake and I go riding sometimes. Come on, Leah. It'll be fun! You can borrow Bella's helmet."

She just stood there and looked at me. Then a slow smile crept on her face. "OK, let's go before I change my mind!"

"Alright!" I put the bag of cookies down on the bench and grabbed Bella's helmet. I pushed the bike out of the garage and held the helmet out to Leah.

She looked at me and said, "Where's yours? Oh wait, you're too cool for one of these, right?"

I laughed and said, "Oh, way too cool. Bella wears it because her Dad insists. Up to you, Leah."

"I'm way too cool, too." I laughed and put the helmet in on the ground. She pulled her hair back and secured it with the elastic band she always had on her wrist for just that purpose.

I climbed on the bike and started it up. "Hop on!" I yelled over the engine. She grinned and climbed on behind me. "Hold on tight, Leah!" She wrapped her arms around my waist and I took off.

Once I got to the road, I opened it up a little and got up to about 50 mph. We were tooling down the road when Leah yelled, "Is this all the faster this thing goes? Come on, Grandpa! Crank it up!" I laughed and hit the throttle until we were flying down the road at 70 mph. This road ran along the water and it was pretty straight with no hills. It was my favorite stretch of road. We rode around the reservation for almost an hour then I headed back to the garage. I pulled to a stop and shut off the engine. I saw Jake's car and hoped he wouldn't be pissed that I took a break.

Leah climbed off the bike then I did, too. "Embry that was awesome! Thank you so much for taking me. I loved the speed! I know why Bella would rather ride than drive." Her smile lit up her whole face. I loved seeing her so happy.

"We can go again, anytime. I don't mind riding around LaPush with a hot chick hanging on to me," I said.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. I pushed the bike back into the garage and parked it. "Nice ride?" Jake asked.

"It was awesome, Jake! I loved it. Thanks, Embry," she said to me. She put her arms around me and hugged me.

"Sure," I said. "Now I need to get back to the rotors on this truck."

"OK. Enjoy the cookies. And share some with Jake," she said as she leaned forward to kiss me. I grabbed her and gave her a real kiss.

"See ya later?" I asked softly.

"Definitely," she answered. "Bye Jake!" she called as she walked out of the garage.

"See ya, Leah!" Jake called after her. "So, taking her out on the bike. Fun, isn't it?" he said with a grin.

"Uh yea! Having her arms wound around my waist, and her boobs pressed against my back. No wonder you like taking Bella out on the bike."

He laughed. "Yea, it's pretty sweet."

I went back to work, but it was hard to concentrate. I kept seeing her face all lit up with that smile. I loved being the one that could put that smile there.

We were hanging out at her house the next afternoon, watching a movie on TV. It was a crappy day outside, and I didn't have any work to do at Jake's. Her mom was working and Seth was out with some of his friends. We were laying on the couch together, she in the front and me behind with my arm draped over her. Being this close and inhaling her scent was driving me crazy. _Strawberries and sunshine. _I leaned forward to kiss her neck. My hand was on her stomach and I inched her shirt up to lay my hand on her skin. She sighed and leaned back into me, turning her face toward me. I stopped kissing her neck and put my lips on hers. That's all it took to ignite the fire. She turned to face me and the kissing intensified to a dangerous level quickly. I knew I needed to pull back, but I was having a hard time. And then she whispered against my lips, "Let's go up to my room, Embry. Please?"

_What? Did she just ask me to go to her room? Oh God, help me!_

"Baby, I don't know. What if Seth or your Mom come home?" I asked, hoping that would calm her down.

"I don't care, Embry. I want you and I'm tired of you stopping me all of the time. I'm on the pill, Embry. You don't have to worry about me getting pregnant," she said quickly as she got off of the couch and took my hand and pulled. I sat up and tried to decide. _I wanted her so much it hurt! _I looked up at her. She had on a purple tank top and short blue jean shorts. _Why does she have to be so damn sexy? _I did what every other guy on the planet would do. I stood up and scooped her up into my arms and took the stairs two at a time. "Which way?"

"Down the hall, second on the left," she said. I walked into her room and closed the door with my foot. I set her on her feet and put my mouth and hands all over her. She peeled my shirt off and threw it on the floor. I did the same with her. She ran her hands all over my shoulders and back. I put my lips on her throat and whispered, "Leah, we shouldn't do this. You have to stop me . . ." As an answer, she pulled away from me and unzipped her shorts and pulled them down and they hit the floor. She stood there in front of me in only her bra and bikini underwear. I went crazy! I pulled her to me and kissed her, devoured her really. She reached for my shorts and undid the button and the zipper and she pushed them and they fell to the floor. We stood there in our underwear, lost in the feeling of desire for one another. She let go of me, took my hand and led me to the bed. She scooted back on the bed and pulled me down with her. _I want her so bad. How long can I hang on?_ Our lips met and I reached around behind her and unhooked her bra. I pulled back and looked down at her. She reached up and pulled the bra away from her and threw it on the floor. I leaned down and kissed her neck and made a trail down to her . . . _oh they are so perfect. _I kissed and touched and she arched her back and moaned. "Embry, please! Don't stop this time. I can't take it anymore!" I moved up to kiss her lips and I ran my hands over her and she dug into my shoulders with her nails. _Oh that feels so good!_

She pulled her underwear down and looked at me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and whispered, "Please, Embry, make love to me." Then her lips were on mine, gently teasing me . . .

I couldn't refuse. I wanted to, but I couldn't. I pulled down my boxers and whispered, "Are you sure, baby?" She nodded and I moved on top of her. She wrapped her legs around me and whispered, "Yes, yes!" That's all it took. I entered her too quickly, I was too anxious. I knew I should take it slow, but I couldn't. I knew it would hurt her first time, but she didn't seem to mind. She was moving with me and I could feel the heat building between us until I couldn't hold back any longer. I had been holding back for so long that it was so amazing to finally let go! I couldn't stop shaking. _That was fucking awesome! I can't believe I kept stopping her. What is wrong with me? Jake was so right._

"I'm so sorry, Leah. I couldn't help it," I panted in her ear. "I wanted to take it slower, but I couldn't. I heard that it hurts the first time for a girl. I didn't hurt you, did I, baby?"

She was very quiet for a moment then she said softly, "No, Embry, not at all."

I rolled to the side and we both tried to catch our breath. I turned my head to look at her and she had her eyes closed. I had no idea what was going through her mind. Instantly, I was afraid. _What if she regrets this and won't talk to me, or see me? I should have stopped her._

I rolled to my side to look at her. I reached out and touched her cheek. "Leah? Baby, are you OK?" I asked quietly.

She opened her eyes and smiled at me. "Yes, I'm fine. Wow. That was . . . fucking awesome."

I laughed. "That's exactly the same words that came to my mind. You're not sorry we did it?"

"Embry, I've been practically raping you for weeks! Hell, no I'm not sorry. Are you?"

I gave a short laugh and looked in her eyes to say, "No. I should be, but I'm not. You know how I feel about you, Leah. I lov . . ." She looked at me and quickly put her hand over my mouth. "Don't say it, Embry. Don't ruin this, OK?" Her eyes pleaded with me.

I couldn't help it. I was instantly hot. I propped myself up on my elbow and yelled, "Ruin it? Are you fucking serious?" Oh my God, Leah! You asked me to make LOVE to you! And that's what I did. Or is this _just sex_ to you? Do you feel nothing for me?" That made her angry. I could see the fire come into her eyes!

She sat up and pulled the pillow in front of her. "No, it's not JUST sex, Embry. I knew you would do this! Why can't it be just what it was? It was fun, it was amazing! It felt so good to be free and just feel for once and not analyze everything to death. God, why do you have to do that?" She threw the pillow down and got up and began searching for her clothes.

"Leah, what the hell is wrong with you? Why can I have sex with you but not love you? That doesn't make any sense." I sat up and threw my legs over the edge of the bed. "Leah! Talk to me!"

She had her underwear and bra back on and she turned and put her hands on her hips and said "Look. I'm sorry. I'm just not ready for that yet, OK? You know that. I guess this was a mistake." She hung her head.

"Yea, I guess it was." I got out of the bed and reached down for my clothes. I pulled on my boxers and shorts and put my t-shirt back on as I ran downstairs then grabbed my shoes. I went to the door and slammed it on my way out. _I can't believe her. What the fuck is going on here?_ I jumped into the truck and took off. _I will NEVER understand that girl. NEVER!_

Leah POV:

_Why did he have to do that? Why can't he be like every other guy on the planet and be happy? I mean, he's not a virgin anymore! Isn't that a big thing for a guy? _I laid back on the bed and felt the tears coming. _Why was I acting like such a slut?_ I remembered the night that Sam and I made love on the beach. It was beautiful and romantic, exactly like your first time should be. That was my first time. My only time until now. This was Embry's first time and I felt guilty that I deprived him of that. I felt like I forced him into it. That's not how a first time should be. I also felt horribly guilty because he thought this was _my_ first time and I hadn't denied it. _Why did he think that? God, how was I going to tell him that it wasn't?_

I put my clothes on and went downstairs. I looked at the phone. I wanted to call him and apologize. But I couldn't. Not yet. Maybe later. But I would have to make this up to him. Because, whether I liked it or not, I did have feelings for him. Strong feelings. And I was going to have to face it sooner or later.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

Embry POV:

I was standing at the bench, working on a part when Jake came in and said, "So, you still in a pissy mood?"

I threw down the wrench that was in my hand, turned and looked at him and said, "What do you think?"

I guess he could tell from the scowl on my face that I was. He smiled and sat down on the stool. "Have you talked to her yet?"

"No, and I don't plan on it right now."

"Man, I don't get you Embry. This girl throws herself at you and your pissed! You two, let's see how did you describe it? Oh yea, 'did the nasty.' You said it was awesome, right? So what's the deal?" Jake asked.

I just looked at him and shook my head. "What's the deal? Are you fucking kidding me? You're the one that went on and on about how it's so much better when you _feel_ something for each other. Well, I love her, I can't help it. I'm not in this for a fucking good time. I want her to love me. Why is that so wrong?"

"It's not wrong. But, well, it's just . . . you're acting like the girl and she's acting like the guy. It's kind of weird, really," he said with a laugh.

I glared at him and picked up the wrench. "Ever wonder what it would be like to have a wrench shoved up your nose?" I threatened.

"Oh come on, Em! You're my best friend. You have to listen to me, here. You gotta know that Leah cares about you. I know she does. She just scared. She'll come around, but you gotta have some patience. In the meantime, relax, have a little fun, you know?"

"Yea, whatever. I gotta get back to this carburetor. At least it won't talk at me," I grumbled.

Leah POV:

A couple of days went by. It was killing me! He didn't call or come over. He was pissed. Or worse: hurt. I finally decided that I had to make this better. I ran over to Jake's to see if Embry was working with him in the garage. I walked into the garage and found Jake working on some part at his work bench. "Hey, Jake."

He looked up and said, "Leah? What's up?" He looked a little surprised to see me here. I wondered what Embry had told him.

"Um, is Embry here? I really need to talk to him."

He put down the tool he was using and wiped his hands on a rag. "Yea, he's in the house. He went to use the bathroom and get something to drink. He should be right back." He sat down on a stool and looked at me.

"I fucked up, Jake. Big time. He's pretty pissed at me, isn't he?" I said. He looked at me, but didn't say anything. "Look, I know he tells you everything."

He smiled and said, "Yea, he does. Man, Leah, you really messed him up! He doesn't know what to do."

I sat down on the stool beside him. "I know. I don't know what to do either. It's just . . . why does he have to love me? Why can't we just have some fun? I mean, I only ever dated one guy. One! He's been with 43 girls! I'm just not ready to do the whole relationship thing again. I don't want to be hurt like that, ever again."

"But Leah, why do you expect to be hurt? What if Embry is _The One_, you know? The one you're supposed to be with?"

Just then we heard Embry come back into the garage. He walked around the car that was sitting there and then he saw me. He stopped and looked at me. "What the hell are you doing here?" he said. He had two cans of pop in his hand.

Jake stood up and went to him and took one of the cans. "I'm going to take a break and let you two talk." He looked over his shoulder at me and walked out of the garage.

I stood up and said, "Embry, we need to talk. Now. I hate how things are between us. I miss you," I started.

He looked at me and shook his head then gave a harsh laugh. "You miss me. Sure," he said.

This was going to be harder than I thought. He wasn't just pissed. He was hurt. I stood up and walked toward him. He took a swig of his Mt. Dew. "Embry, what happened was . . . well, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed so hard. I lost control . . . I guess I feel like I used you and that was really wrong. I know you have feelings for me, and I took advantage of that."

He just stood there. I could see that he was fuming. I could almost see smoke come out of his ears, he was that hot.

"Really, Leah? Really? That's your apology?" He squeezed the can in his hand so hard it smashed and pop went squirting out all over. "Shit!" He dropped it and took a rag from his back pocket to wipe his hand. He shook his head and looked up at me. "You didn't rape me, Leah. I was an active party in the whole thing, OK? I wanted you just as much as you wanted me. But yea, I have feelings. And so do you, but you're too scared shitless to admit it. That's what pissed me off, OK? I know that there is something very strong physically between us. That is quite obvious. But there's something else, too. And until you realize that, this thing between us is over."

"What? Over? No! I don't want that!" I moved forward and put my hands on his chest. "Tell me what to do. How can I fix this?" I was begging. It was pathetic really.

"You know what you have to do, I just told you." He picked up my hands and dropped them and stepped back.

"What? I have to profess my undying love for you? Is that it? I can't be with you unless I love you? Embry, this is crazy! Aren't you the one who always backs off when a girl gets all emotional? What happened to that Embry? The one that likes to make out and have fun? Where did he go?"

He smiled meanly and said, "I guess he got what he deserved. He finally fell in love with a girl who only wants a good time. Pretty fucking ironic, isn't it?"

I just stood there. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I looked at him with a blank stare.

He said, "Look, Leah, I gotta get back to work, OK? See ya around." He walked over to the bench and picked up a tool and walked over to the car with the hood up and stuck his head under it. _Yea, go ahead. Hide under there._

What else could I do? I turned and walked out.

Embry POV:

I worked late in the garage. What else did I have to do? I was so pissed at Leah, I didn't trust myself to go anywhere else. I was feeling really reckless. I thought about getting drunk and finding some girl to have hot sex with. Any girl, it didn't matter. _Now that I have all this experience. Ha! Yea, I'm a real stud now. _I knew, deep down, I would really regret it, so I stayed in the garage and worked.

Jake had left around six to have dinner at Bella's. She fixed dinner for him and their dads just about every night. They acted like they were married already! It was sickening to be around, really.

I decided to finally knock off and go home. It was after seven, and my stomach was growling. I couldn't even remember the last time I ate something. For once, I hadn't been very hungry lately. I put stuff away and locked up. I got into the truck and forced myself to drive home. I had this urge to drive to Leah's, but I didn't. I needed to stay strong on this. I knew if I saw her again, I'd lose all my resolve and take her in my arms. She was like a drug. I had her once, and now I just wanted more. It was killing me. Especially at night when I closed my eyes to sleep.

I parked the truck and got out and went inside. I found my mom sitting at the kitchen table. "Hey Mom," I said as I walked into the kitchen. I went to the fridge to find something to eat. As I was pulling out a box of leftover pizza, I heard my mom say, "Sit down, Embry. I need to talk to you."

"Sure," I said. I grabbed a slice of cold pizza and took a big bite. "What's up?" I plopped down at the table and looked at her.

She looked me in the eye and asked, "Why don't you tell me what the hell this is all about?" She brought her hand from her lap and held out the envelope that held the DNA test results.

"What the hell, Mom! Why were going through my drawers?" I was instantly hot. I threw the pizza down on the table.

"I thought I would be nice and put your laundry away for you and I found this in your sock drawer. When were you going to tell me about this? Never?" she asked me. She wasn't just angry, she was really hurt. I could tell by the redness around her eyes, she had been crying.

"Why should I? You were never going to tell me."

"No, I wasn't! I didn't want you to know. Didn't you get that? God, Embry. I have been trying for almost 18 years to get over this. I just didn't' want . . ."

"Want me to know what? I already know my father is Joshua Uley. Did he rape you, Mom? Is that it? Tell me, Mom! I have to know. PLEASE JUST TELL ME!" I screamed at her.

She closed her eyes and tears rolled down her cheeks. "No, Embry, he didn't rape me. This is so hard . . ."

"Mom, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have screamed at you, but this is always going to be between us. Just tell me and get it over with, please?"

She opened her eyes and looked at me. She reached up and touched me on the cheek and nodded. "All I have to do is look at you and I see his eyes." She smiled and put her hand down. She took a deep breath and started, "I was so young. Barely 18. I was living with my aunt and uncle because both of my parents had died in a car accident when I was 10. It was OK, I guess. I loved my aunt, she was my mom's sister, but my uncle . . . well, he drank. He couldn't hold a job for long, so things weren't so easy, you know? But I had a boyfriend, Tom. He had asked me to marry him at Christmas that year, and we were planning on getting married after I graduated. I was so happy, planning the wedding. I was working at a little grocery store on the reservation, and one night at work, someone came in and told me they saw Tom hanging out with another girl. So during my break, I went to see him and we got into this huge fight. He told me it was nothing, but I was so insecure. I could never quite believe that he would want to marry ME. You know? I cried all the way back to work believing that Tom and I were done. Somehow I got through the rest of my shift. I closed that night, so it was late when I got out. I walked outside to go home and there was this man, outside the store at the payphone, looking through the phone book. He surprised me and I jumped and he apologized and told me he was trying to find a buddy of his that lived on the reservation.

He told me his buddy's name, I told him where he lived, and he smiled and said, "Thanks." That was it. But there was something about him. I couldn't stop staring at him. His eyes were so beautiful – they drew you in somehow. Before I knew what I was doing, I agreed to get a soda with him. We walked over to the bar next door and he ordered me a soda and himself a beer. We sat and talked. He told me his name was Josh and he was from LaPush, and he was on the reservation looking for work. He thought Bob, his buddy, could help somehow, I guess. We talked some more and then he asked me to dance. Someone was always putting money in the jukebox, and a slow song came on, so I danced with him. I knew it was a mistake, but for some reason, I couldn't stop myself. Maybe it was the stupid fight I just had with Tom. Maybe it was because I never felt good enough for Tom, you know? But when Josh held me in his arms . . . I can't describe how it felt. It was just like . . . I was home. I know that sounds so stupid, but that's how it was. He leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Let's get out of here."

"I found myself walking with him to his truck. We got in and he pulled me into his arms and kissed me. It was so . . . I don't know. So different than any of the kisses I had ever had with Tom. Josh was handsome, so handsome, and well, I couldn't resist. Maybe if Tom and I hadn't had that awful fight, well, maybe I wouldn't have let myself get so carried away. We made out for awhile and I told him I had better get home. He took me home and my uncle was drunk. You could hear him screaming at my aunt from outside the house. Josh looked at me and I apologized for my uncle. Then he said, "Honey, I'm not leaving you here. Come with me. We'll get out of here for a couple of days. What do you say?"

She looked at me and said quietly, "I know that I should have said no, but I didn't." She closed her eyes and said, "I know you probably think I'm a whore for getting in a truck with a man I just met and running off with him, but I don't think I could have stopped myself even if I had wanted to."

She opened her eyes and went on, "We drove down the coast and found a little motel along the ocean. We stayed there for 2 days. I won't go into detail, but I will say it was the best two days of my life. I loved him, Embry. I can't explain how it happened or why, but I loved him. On the third day, he told me that he as much as he hated to, he had to go and he was taking me back to the reservation. I was devastated! I told him I loved him and I begged him to take me with him. He said he loved me too, but he couldn't take me. He couldn't explain now, but he would call me sometime and tell me the whole story. We drove back to the reservation and he pulled up on the street over from my aunt's house so no one would see me get out of his truck. He held me and kissed me and told me thank you for loving him so. Then I got out and he drove away." A tear left her eye and rolled down her cheek.

She took a deep breath. "I felt so . . . alone, so empty, walking back to that house. I knew my aunt and uncle would be furious with me and I was terrified to go in. But I did, and I told my aunt some made up story about just needing to get away and figure things out since Tom and I had such a big fight. I told her I was so sorry to make her worry, and that it would never happen again. No one knew the real story but me and Josh. A week went by and he didn't call, then another. I already had the feeling I wasn't going to hear from him again."

"More time went by and eventually Tom and I made up. I told him I was sorry for the fight, and we went on like nothing ever happened. Until I realized that I was pregnant. I was so excited! I was really looking forward to getting married and having babies. Having a little house to take care of and a family had always been my dream. I couldn't wait to tell him! I was a little afraid, too, because I wasn't sure how he would take it. We had never really talked about having kids. So, we were parked in his car at this little spot we liked, and I told him. His face got really dark and he asked me how in the hell I could be pregnant. I was really surprised! I mean, we had been . . . well intimate, and he never used any . . . protection. I told him that and he then he told me it was because he had had an accident a few years before that had made him sterile. He couldn't have kids!"

She closed her eyes again and said so quietly I almost couldn't hear her, "He hit me, hard across the face a couple of times, and called me a whore." Tears ran down her face again. I reached out and held her hand.

"I couldn't argue with him. That's exactly what I was." She opened her eyes and said, "He called me a few more names and told me to get the hell out of his car. So I did, and he drove away and left me there. I remember sitting on the ground for quite awhile just crying and wondering what the hell I was going to do. It was a small reservation, and Tom was from one of the tribal families. I knew it would be impossible for me to stay there. So, I picked myself up and walked the three miles back home. I went to my room and packed up everything I owned into one big suitcase. The next morning, I took the engagement ring that Tom had given me and I sold it and bought an old beat up car. I took all of my money out of the bank that I had saved from working, which wasn't much, put the suitcase in the car and headed for LaPush. I figured since Josh was the father of this baby, he had a right to know."

"I got to LaPush and stopped at the store uptown and asked if anybody knew where Josh Uley lived. Quil's grandpa was in there and came over and asked me why I wanted to know. I told him that I was moving here and my mom had told me to look Josh up because he was some distant cousin or something. I didn't want to announce that I was pregnant with his kid! Quil's grandpa looked me up and down. I had a big bruise on my face where Tom had hit me. Then he told me that Josh had left his wife and little boy months ago and never came back."

"I almost passed out right there! The words, 'wife and little boy' kept ringing in my head. I remember turning around and getting back in my car and thinking 'Now what?' I drove to the housing office and asked if there was a small house for rent anywhere in LaPush. The guy showed me this house. I put down a deposit and stayed. Where else was I going to go? I figured if Josh ever did make his way back here again, I'd be waiting for him, with his son." The tears ran again.

I had tears running down my face, too. I had my head in my hands.

"Do you see why I couldn't tell you this when you were 11? Embry, I wanted to tell you, but I was too afraid. I didn't want to look into those beautiful eyes of yours and see you look at me, thinking I'm a whore. I couldn't take that."

I looked over at her and said, "God, Mom. I don't think that! I would never think that."

She smiled and said, "That's good to hear."

I reached over and pulled her into a hug. I held onto her as she cried. Then she pulled back and said, "And I know you can't possible think anything good about your dad. I really don't know what was going on with him. Those few days I spent with him, he had moments when he was very quiet. I knew that something was bothering him, but he never wanted to talk about it. I had no idea he was married, but I suppose I should have guessed. He never mentioned a wife, or little boy." She wiped her eyes and went on softly, "I would see Sam and his mom sometimes in the store, or at the beach. I remember her staring at you one time when you were about 4 or 5. You already looked a little like Sam, and I was worried she would figure it out. Maybe she did, but she never said anything. I always wondered if Josh did come back, if he would he go to her or me. I guess we'll never know." She looked over at me and for the first time I could see all the pain that was in her heart.

"I'm so sorry, Mom. I . . ."

She reached out and brushed my bangs off of my forehead. "Embry. I don't ever want you to feel like I didn't want you. You were not a mistake, OK? You were conceived in love, and I have always loved you. I know I haven't always been here for you. I mean, it's hard having to work and everything. I had to give up a lot of time with you, and I always hated it. I guess I can see why that makes you a little rebellious, staying out all night, and . . ."

"No, Mom, that's not why. I . . . " _God! I wish I could just tell her about the werewolf thing. I hated that she didn't know. _"Look, Mom. I can't explain right now, but just know that I'm not in trouble, OK?" I thought again about asking Sam about telling my mom about the wolf thing. "I love you, Mom. I'm sorry that things didn't turn out right for you . . . and me. But, thank you for telling me this. I did need to hear it."

I ran my hands through my hair. "Um, Mom, just so you know, I told Sam, that he's my brother. I needed for him to know."

"How did he take it?" she asked me with concern.

I smiled and said, "I couldn't believe it, Mom. He accepted me. Just like that. He told me that he always wanted a brother. He grew up with just a mom, too. He told me that I was his blood, and that makes me his family. And he always takes care of his family." I wiped the tears out of my eyes. "It's cool, Mom. It's very cool."

"I'm happy, honey, that he took it so well. I'm glad you have each other. I think Josh would be happy to know that both of his sons have each other."

"Hmph! I don't know about that. But, anyway, it's nice to have a big brother to talk to. And before too long, I'll be an uncle. Sam and Emily are having a baby! She's due in January or February, I think."

"Really? Are they married yet?"

"Not yet. The wedding is in a couple weeks or so. The, uh, baby wasn't planned," I said with a smile.

She smiled. "Yea, sometimes that happens." She reached out and hugged me. "I love you, Embry. So much!" She held me tight for a moment then let me go. "OK, enough of this. I need to get to bed. Work comes too early." She stood up and put her hand on my shoulder. "Goodnight, honey."

"Goodnight, Mom." _Wow. What a story._

I picked up the piece of pizza that was laying on the table and threw it in the garbage. I knew I was too wired to sleep. I decided to go out for a run. I wanted to phase and run and just feel the freedom. I kicked off my shoes and threw my t-shirt on top of them. I opened and closed the door quietly then ran out to the door and headed for the woods.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

Leah POV:

I was out on patrol. Quil had called me earlier and asked if I would take his turn. Claire was sick and she didn't want anyone but Quil. It was late, and she needed to sleep, but she wouldn't unless Quil was holding her. He was so good with her, I couldn't refuse. Besides, I really didn't have anything better to do. Embry was still very upset with me, and wouldn't talk to me. So, here I was, trotting through the woods with Jacob. We sniffed around and took a good run. Nothing much going on, as usual. I tried hard not to think about Embry because I knew how close he and Jake were. And it was hard being with Jake because all he thought about was Bella. It made me miss Embry.

"_Geez, Jake! Can we at least make it PG-13?" _

"_Sorry, Leah. I can't help it. I still can't believe that she picked me over him, and it's hard to get her out of my head."_

"_You two are going a little fast, aren't you? I mean, Sam and I waited until . . . "_

"_You and Sam? You two . . ." _

_Shit! _As much as I tried to hide it, scenes flashed through my mind. _Sam and I, that night on the beach. I was so in love with him. We just started making out, like always. But something changed. He whispered how much he loved me over and over and I got lost in the feeling of his kisses and I let his hands roam out of control. He was so gentle with me, and loving, and it just happened. _

"_It was only that one time, because two days later, he phased."_

"_Whoa, and you think me and Bella are too hot!"_

"_Come on, Jacob! I never wanted anyone to see that. That's one reason I kept the anger, because then it's easier to keep those things buried. Please hide it, Jacob. Sam would kill me if everyone saw that."_

"_Sam must have buried that pretty deep, huh?"_

"_Yea, well, I guess he was being nice or something. Trying not to hurt me any more than he already he had. And I don't want Embry to see it. EVER! Got it?"_

"_Yea, you're right about that. It would kill Embry. I'll try to forget it. I promise."_

Embry. Just his name brought back what happened between us . . . _it was so awesome. I never thought sex could be like that! It was so raw, and passionate . . ._

"_Leah, cut it out! I never thought I would be saying that to you."_

I was used to seeing this with the guys, but I'm sure they never thought they would see it with me. _"Sorry, Jake. You deserve a little payback! It's just, talking about Embry made me think about what happened. He's still not talking to me, you know. My apology didn't go so well. He won't see me unless I admit that I love him. Can you believe that? He's acting like such a . . . chick!"_

"_Yea I know. What's up with that? I told him the same thing. This isn't like him. At all. I guess he's got it bad for you. And believe me, Leah, I know how that feels. To be in love with someone who won't admit that they love you. It sucks. Big time. When Bella was with Edward, I knew she loved me, too. I hated that she wouldn't admit it to herself. When she finally did, well . . . you know how things worked out for us. I know you like him, Leah. But do you think you could love him, and you're just scared to admit it?"_

I didn't like where this conversation was going. _"I don't' know, Jake. I don't want to think about it because of the whole imprinting thing. I am not going through that again. I can't."_

We were down near the beach when suddenly I sensed Embry in wolf form, out running nearby. I saw flashes of what was going on in his head. . . _talking with his mom, about his dad?_ We listened in and then I looked over at Jake. "_Go ahead, check on him. Jared and Sam are on their way. They should be here in about 5."_

"_Thanks, Jake." _

"_Leah!" _It was Sam. _"Is Embry OK? I saw him talking with his mom about . . . him. God, that was hard. Check on him, OK?"_

"_Yea, on my way."_ I took off at a dead run to find him. I lost his thoughts, and knew he phased back to human. I ran toward the beach and phased back and dressed at the edge of the woods. I found him sitting on the sand, near the water. I walked slowly toward him, hoping he wouldn't be angry with me for coming to find him.

"Hey." I sat down beside him.

He looked over and said, "Hey, back."

"Wow, Embry. That's quite a story." He was quiet. "You OK?"

He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Honestly, I don't know. I am glad Mom told me, and I feel closer to her, I guess. But I am finding myself filled with rage at this guy for knocking her up and just walking away! How the hell could he do something like that, Leah? What kind of an asshole does something like that!"

"I don't know, Embry. Sam has always been pretty pissed at him, too. But, there had to be something good about him for your mom to fall in love with him so quickly. She saw something in him, Embry. Remember that. And you and Sam are the best guys I have ever known. So, whether you think so or not, there was good in him somewhere."

He gave a short laugh and looked at me. "Who died and made you 'Little Miss Sunshine?' Where's that Leah that's pissed at the world? I think I could use her right about now."

"Oh, she's around. Is that what you want? Someone to be miserable with?" I asked. "I'm good at miserable. I have perfected it to an art."

He hung his head and thought a moment. "Nah, I guess not. I've had enough misery in my life. I'm actually pretty damn sick of it." He looked back out at the water. I followed his gaze and looked out at the moon reflecting on the water. It was really beautiful. I reached down and took his hand. I wanted so badly to take the hurt away, if only he would let me.

He squeezed my hand, but didn't take his eyes from the water. "I just wish I could tell Mom, you know? About this wolf thing. I hate that she thinks it her fault that I'm out all night, and she thinks it's a rebellion thing. I mean, at first, it was OK. I kind of liked feeling like a rebel or something. But now, now that I know how much she's been through . . . it's not fair to her."

"Didn't Sam say one time that he would talk to the elders for you and see if they would let you tell her? Ask him, Embry. And by the way, he was out tonight. He heard all of what went through your head, too. And Jake and Jared," I told him.

"Yea, when I took off running, I knew someone would hear. I just didn't care. I needed to feel that freedom," he said.

"I know that feeling!" I smiled at him. "I can't tell you how many times I phased just to feel that."

He looked over at me and said, "Stop that."

"Stop what?" I asked.

"Smiling! You come here and hold my hand, and you smile like that. You look so beautiful, all I can think about is kissing you," he said. "You know I don't want to do that right now."

"I'm sorry, Embry. You know I care about you. I was worried about you." I leaned over and kissed him. I tried to keep kissing him, but he pulled away from me.

"You care. You were worried. I see," he said. "Whatever." He shook his head and looked away.

"Stop it, Embry! I'm sick of this. I'm sick of you pouting like some whiny-ass little baby!"

I heard him sigh and he ran his hand through his hair.

_That was mean. _"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that . . ." I started. Then I saw his face. His eyes were full of hurt and anger.

"Nope. I get it. I can't help how I feel about you, Leah. Don't you get that? I can't do this. Whatever THIS is!" He stood up and looked down at me. "Until you figure out how you really feel, Leah, leave me the hell alone!" He turned and ran down the beach.

_What? Leave him alone? Is he serious?_ I just sat there and let the tears come. I drew my knees up under my chin and laid my head down and cried. _What am I going to do? I can't win with this guy. I do care about him, don't I? I wouldn't be crying so hard if I didn't. Why can't I admit it? What is holding me back?_

I had no idea how long I sat there crying when I heard someone clear their throat. I looked up, and saw Sam standing there. "You OK, Leah? What happened? Where's Embry?" He sat down beside me.

I took a deep breath and said, "He left. I talked to him and he's OK about the talk with his mom. He would like to be able to tell her about him being a werewolf though. Do you think that you could talk to the elders about that? It would make things a lot easier for the two of them." I wiped my eyes with my hands.

"Yea, sure. I've been thinking about doing that anyway." He looked at me and said slowly, "Something else happened." He put his arm around my shoulders and said softly, "Talk to me, Le-Le."

I closed my eyes. _Le-Le_. He hadn't called me that in a very long time. "It's . . . me and Embry. He wants more from me than I can give right now."

He was instantly angry. "I will kick his ass! He is not going to force you to have sex . . ."

"No! That's not what I meant, Sam. No. He's not pressuring me to have sex!" _How can I be having this conversation with Sam? Oh God, I'm losing it! _I could feel the tears coming again, so I quickly got out,"He thinks he's in love with me. And I'm afraid. Really terrified, you know? Because what if I give in and love him and he fucking _imprints_ on someone? I can't do that again. I just can't! I can't!" I sobbed. I completely fell apart. Sam took me in his arms and held me while I cried and I clung to him.

"God, Leah. I hate this. I hate what I've done to you. Baby, don't cry. It kills me when you cry," he said softly. He ran his hand down my head and over my hair while he rocked me very gently back and forth.

I cried a little longer then lifted my head to look at him. "I'm so sorry, Sam. I feel like I'm falling apart." He looked into my eyes, and for a moment, he was _my_ Sam again. I could see how much he still cared about me. He leaned in until our foreheads touched and he whispered, "Do you remember that night . . . here on the beach?" I nodded. "I've tried so hard to forget that, Leah, because I didn't want anyone else to see it. But, being here, with you, now . . ." He took my face in his hands, and we looked into each other's eyes. He leaned closer, our lips just touching and then something stopped him. He pulled back and closed his eyes. "God, Leah, this is so hard. I hate what happened, and I am so sorry that I hurt you, baby." He let go of my face and opened his eyes to look into mine. "But you have to let go and move on. You HAVE to! I can't help how I feel about Emily. I love her with everything I am and that's never going to change. But I still care about you, too. And if you have a shot at happiness with my brother, as much as it kills me to say this, then take it. Don't waste your life being afraid of something that might never happen."

"I think I want to. I really do," I said quietly.

"Do you have feelings for him?" he asked.

"Yea, I do. I really care about him. I think I could love him . . . if I wasn't so afraid. And I feel drawn to him, physically. I mean, when he kisses me or touches me, well, it's so intense . . . God, I'm sorry. This is so weird talking to you like this." I smiled.

"Yea, for me, too." He smiled and went on, "but Leah, you know, with this wolf thing, all of our senses are heightened. Food taste better, our hearing and vision are sharper, and well, things like kissing and touching, it's all more intense."

I nodded. "But it's more than that, really. It's almost like I crave his touch . . . just to hold my hand, or kiss me. Like I need it? Does that make sense? From the beginning, we couldn't stop kissing or touching. I mean, we barely knew each other! And when we had sex . . ." I stopped. _Why did I say that?_

"You and Embry? You . . . had sex?" I nodded. "You let him touch you like that . . ." He looked so angry all of a sudden. No, not angry, hurt. "God, Leah, I didn't think it had gone that far." He hung his head for a minute, and I felt awful. _I shouldn't have told him that._

"Sam, I am so sorry. I shouldn't have said that," I said quickly.

He looked back up at me and said with a sad smile, "No, it's OK, I get it. I should have figured, I mean, that's another wolf thing. I've talked about that with some of the guys. After you phase, you become . . . uh, more physical, sexually. You know before I phased, I mean, you and I, we went together for a long time, and we waited for quite awhile before we. . . he looked into my eyes for a moment, again remembering, then he looked out at the water. "You had to deal with this with me and Emily. I just never thought about . . . I should have. You're a beautiful girl, Leah. You deserve to feel that, you know?"

I smiled at him. "It only happened once. And it wasn't . . . well, like what we had. It was awesome, but not romantic, you know what I mean? It was so . . . physical. I just kept pushing him, and pushing him, and he kept stopping me because he was afraid that I would regret it for some reason. He finally couldn't resist anymore, and he gave in to me. He got so pissed after because he said he loves me, and I couldn't say it back. And, he wants that, you know? I loved you, Sam, so much, but it wasn't like that with you. I mean, the physical drive. It was all emotional. I had sex with you because I loved you. Do you think that's the wolf thing? Do you think it's stronger because me and Embry are both wolves?"

"Well, that kind of makes sense, I guess. Look, the elders tell us that we imprint to preserve the pack. So far, we have had to imprint on 'outsiders' so to say, from the pack because there weren't any female wolves, right? We've never had a female wolf, but now that we do, what if, to preserve the pack, you don't imprint on an outsider, but you are 'drawn' as you say, to another wolf in the pack and instead of imprinting on a girl outside of the pack, he is drawn to you?"

I just stared at him. I finally got out, "What? Are you serious?" I was stunned!

"I don't know, it's just a theory. I mean, you freaked the elders out when you phased! No one knows anything about female wolves, because there have never been any, so I don't know. But it makes sense somehow, don't you think? I could ask the elders, I guess," he offered.

_Wow! Could it be true? _"Uh, yea! Wow, I guess I never thought of it that way. I've been so freaked out at the way I've been behaving. It's not me at all, Sam. I've been feeling like such a slut. It's like it's all I think about!"

"Come on, Leah. I'm trying really hard not to be jealous of my little brother. You're not helping! I can see I'm going to have to stay away from you two in wolf form," he said gruffly. "I really don't need that in my head."

"Sam, I'm sorry, but now you have some idea how it was for me when I phased and I would see what's in your mind, you know with Emily." I closed my eyes for a moment. "It was horrible." He started to say he was sorry, again, but I stopped him. "Look, we both have to stop with the 'I'm sorrys.' OK? What happened, happened. There is nothing that you or I could do to stop it. I have finally accepted that."

I put my head in my hands. Sam put his arm around my shoulders and said, "It's OK, Leah. This wolf thing is hard enough for us guys. I can't imagine what it must be like for you. I felt so bad when you first phased and you wouldn't let me help you. It broke my heart all over again, Leah. I tried to find out how you were doing through Seth. He wasn't too friendly either. I miss both of you, you know. He's finally coming around a little, maybe because of Embry, I don't know."

I smiled and said, "You should have seen him the first night Embry kissed me. Seth caught us out by Embry's truck and he punched Embry right in the eye! Threw him back against the truck! I was pretty proud of him. He was defending my honor, I guess."

Sam laughed at that. "I always knew I liked that kid." He got quiet again. He still had his arm around my shoulder, and it felt comfortable. "How are you doing now? With this wolf thing, I mean. Are you and Seth OK?"

"Yea, I think we've settled into it alright," I answered. "Seth loves it!" I added with a smile. He nodded. "Look, Sam, there's something else. Embry is your brother, and he is very happy about that. He is amazed that you accepted him so easily as family. I don't want you and me to come between you and Embry, OK?"

He smiled and said, "Oh yea, Leah, me and Embry, we're good. Like I said, I might be a little jealous of the guy, but, no, I want him, and you, to be happy. You know, it makes me happy, too. I like having a brother. And Embry, well, he's cool, you know? Yea, of course you do," he laughed.

I looked into his eyes, and I believed him. He really did love Embry. "That's good. But, there's another thing. What we had is in the past. I know that. And you know that. But, well, Embry doesn't know that we . . . "I hung my head and sighed, then said, "he thinks I was a virgin. I was kind of shocked when he said something, and I didn't know how to tell him otherwise. He doesn't know that we made love, here on the beach. Can you please hide that memory from him? I know I have to tell him, and I want to. I just don't want him to 'see' it before I can tell him."

"Whoa, Leah. Why did he think you were a virgin? I mean, we went together for a long time, and we loved each other. I mean . . ."

"Yea, but, maybe it's because . . . um, he was?" His eyes grew huge and he said, "What? Embry was a . . . no fucking way! He's been with tons of girls!"

"Yea, 43 to be exact. We had that conversation! But he said, even though he had the chance, he never took it. He said that something always held him back. Yea, that made me feel great." I looked down and picked up a rock out of the sand and played with it.

"Wow, Leah. I didn't get that at all. Huh, I'll be damned!" He shook his head in amazement.

I threw the rock toward the water then turned to look at Sam and say, "Well, this has turned into a very weird conversation." I gave a short laugh and shook my head. "Who would have thought things would turn out like this for us? You with my cousin, and me with your brother?"

He laughed and said, "And both of us turning into wolves! All of this is so fucking weird!" He put his head down for a moment in thought. Then he looked at me and pulled me close to him and said, "What we had was very special, Leah, and I'll never forget it. But I want you to have what I have with Emily. Don't be afraid, Le-Le. Love is worth it."

I let him hold me for a short while. I pulled back and said, "Thank you, Sam. Thank you for talking to me. I think it really helped. Closure, you know?"

He smiled, "Yea. I know. For me, too." He leaned in and put a very soft, gentle kiss on my lips. "Come on," he said as he stood up and held his hand out to help me up. "I gotta get home, and so do you."

We walked down the beach to the trail to my house in silence. We had said what needed to be said, and frankly, I was exhausted. We stopped and he said, "So, my brother. You had to pick my brother." I just smiled and shrugged my shoulders. He smiled and shook his head. "See ya, Leah."

"Bye, Sam."

I smiled as he jogged away.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Embry POV:

I laid down and tried to sleep. I don't know why. I had so much going through my head, it was making me crazy! I kept thinking about my mom's story. How she was drawn to my dad and went away with him for three days! _They were strangers, for God's sake! How could she do something like that?_ I really didn't think she was a slut or a whore or anything. I think she truly did love him. But what was it about him? And why did he just dump her off and leave? God I wished I could ask him somehow. Well, first I would smash his face in first then I would ask him! I had so many questions about him swirling around in my head. Questions that could never be answered.

And then there was Leah. Leah, who was ever present in my mind. Leah, who confused the hell out of me! I wasn't surprised to see her show up. As soon as I phased I knew she was out there listening, and I had a feeling she would come and find me. I knew she cared about me. I just wish she would realize how much. I was sick to death of this fucking imprinting thing being between us! _Damnit all to hell! _I knew now I was in love with her, but I didn't know how much longer I could take this. I wanted her so much, but not just because I found her hot, which I did. It was so much more than that. I just wish I could make her understand that. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her laying on her bed, her black hair against the purple pillow case. Her eyes black with desire. I could still feel how it felt to move inside of her. _I really don't want to take another cold shower. I am fucking sick of that too! _Maybe I was being a fucking idiot. I should just give in and be with her in any way that she would have me. I missed her so much.

I finally fell asleep somewhere towards morning. When I woke up and looked at the clock, it was almost noon. _Shit! _I told Jake I would be there by ten. I reached out and grabbed my phone to see that I had 4 missed calls from him. I still had the phone on vibrate, so I didn't hear it ring. I sat up and dialed his number.

"It's about fucking time," is how he answered the phone.

"Yea, sorry. I had a shitty night last night and didn't get to sleep until almost morning. But you know that already, don't you? Leah said she was patrolling with you last night. Look, I'm on my way."

"Alright. See ya soon. And just for being so late, you can pick up some burgers for lunch."

I rolled my eyes. "Yea, sure, Bossman! I'll be there soon." I hung up and ran my hand over my face and hair. I was going to need some coffee or something to keep going today. I jumped in the shower, brushed my teeth and got dressed. I walked into the kitchen and saw that Mom had left some coffee in the coffee pot. _Yes!_ I poured some into a cup and put it in the microwave to reheat. It was better than nothing.

I grabbed the mug out of the microwave and took it with me to the truck. I drank it on the way to the burger joint. I went through the drive-thru and ordered 8 hamburgers and 2 fries and 2 large Cokes. I pulled into Jake's and carried the food into the garage. "Hey! Food's here!" I hollered out as I set the food on the bench. I turned to see Jake and Bella all over each other at the doorway that leads to the house.

"Geez, guys, come on!" I yelled.

They finally broke apart and Jake said to me, "Yea, you're 2 hours late, and you pick NOW to come strolling in? It was just getting good."

Bella smacked him on the arm and said, "Sorry, Embry. I was just going. I have to work today."

"I'll walk you to the truck," Jake said. They walked out and I dug into the bag of burgers, took one out and bit into it. Seeing them made me miss Leah so much. It was killing me! I dug my phone out of my pocket and started to dial her number then I stopped. _Nope. Can't do it. _I told her to leave me alone until she figured things out. I wasn't going to go running back. I wanted her to come to me.

I finished the burger while I looked over the car I was working on. Jake came back in whistling. "Do you have to be so damn happy?" I shot at him.

"Uh, yea! Have you seen my girlfriend? She is hot!" Jake said with a big grin.

I had to laugh at that one. He sounded like I used to. _Wow! Things have really changed._

"Why are you so pissed? That talk with your mom still got you upset?" he asked. "I didn't get the whole story, but I got a lot of it. How do you feel about what she told you?"

I took a couple of steps over to the bench and grabbed a burger out of the bag and threw it to him. Then I picked up a box of fries and shoved some in my mouth. I swallowed and said, "I don't know how to feel really. I mean, I'm a little bugged about it, but I'm glad she told me. It really helped me to understand my mom a little better, you know? " I ate some more fries. "I just have so many questions to ask the guy. But, it's not like that's going to happen."

"Then it must be Leah," Jake said. He pushed the last of the burger into his mouth and wadded up the wrapper.

I was surprised to hear the harsh laugh come out of my mouth. "Yep. She's driving me crazy, bro. She still wants me to kiss her and hold her and screw her, but not love her. Do you get that? She's terrified over the imprinting thing. God! I can't fucking take it anymore!" I turned and slammed my fist onto the bench. My Coke flipped off the bench and hit the floor. "DAMNIT!" I yelled.

"OK, Embry, chill!" He bent down and picked up the cup and grabbed a couple of shop rags to soak up the pop.

"I'm sorry, dude," I said as I hung my head and covered my face with my hands. I pushed my bangs out of my face and said, "She is making me crazy. How did this happen to me? ME? I was always so smooth with girls. I never felt nervous around them. I could have any girl I want eating out of my hand! I made out with 43 girls, Jake! 43! I've lost it, bro. I have really lost it. I fell in love and I know you think its sweet, but I fucking hate it."

He put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Look, Embry. I patrolled with Leah last night. I saw some things in her head. You two were hot, by the way!" Jake grinned like a little kid. I rolled my eyes and he went on, "She wants to love you, she really does. I think she's close to giving in. Just try to be patient with her, bro."

"I'm trying! I'm trying so fucking hard!" I shrugged Jake's arm off of me and stared pacing back and forth while I talked. "I have never been this patient with a girl, you know that! It's just . . . I'm afraid, too! God, I hate sounding like a chick. But I am. I don't want her to imprint on some other guy. I'd have to kill him, you know I would!"

He laughed. "Yea, I know. Look, this is a weird situation for both of you. But, Embry, I wouldn't miss being in love for anything. It will get better for you two. I've been there, remember? Remember when Bella got engaged to Edward? " He closed his eyes for a second, then opened them and went on, "That was a knife in the heart. I wanted to kill that guy with every fiber of my being! But I bided my time, and I got to her. I knew she loved me, but she didn't want to admit it. I made her face it. I had to. And now, well, now it's like it should have been all along. I'll never let her go, ever."

I went back to the bench and threw him another burger from the bag and got one for myself. I got quiet and just ate, so Jake sat down at the bench to look through a car magazine he just got. I thought about what Jake said while I ate my burger. I didn't know how to make her face it, but I had to find a way. I couldn't go on like this much longer.

We finished our lunch and got to work. I cranked the music and just focused on fixing the engine. That's the one thing I could get lost in, working on cars. I loved trying to figure out what was wrong then finding a way to fix it. It was like solving a riddle or a puzzle that no one else could do. We finally quit around six. Jake asked if I wanted to stay for dinner, but I told him no. "I need to spend some more time alone to think through some shit."

"Alright. I'll see ya tomorrow," he said as he walked toward the house.

I got in the truck and headed to the beach. Since that night that Leah and I first talked here, I found myself coming here more and more when I wanted to think. Most of the people had cleared off for the day, but there were a few walking here and there.

I walked down the beach slowly and let my mind drift to Leah. I felt really bad about yelling at her last night and telling her to "leave me the hell alone." I guess that was a little harsh. I looked out at the water and I could see someone swimming. _Now there's a great idea!_ I took my shoes off, and pulled my t-shirt over my head and dropped it on the sand. I took off running toward the water and dove in. I swam out through the waves and let the water run over my body. It felt really good. I pulled through the water and didn't realize how close I was to the other person in the water until I almost ran into them. I put my head out of the water and said, "Wow! I'm sorry, I didn't see . . . Leah?"

"Embry? I thought that was you! Did you come out here after me?" she sputtered. She wasn't wearing her usual black bathing suit. She had on a dark blue bikini top with board shorts. Her bikini top wasn't hiding much.

"No, I saw someone swimming from shore, I didn't know it was you. I just thought it looked like a good idea, so I just dove . . ." my voice faded away. We were treading water looking at each other. I tried to force myself to keep swimming, but I couldn't move. She was looking at me with those big, beautiful eyes, and I was drowning in them. It was like being hypnotized. She drew in closer and put her hands on my shoulders and said softly, "Embry, I'm so sorry for the way I've been treating you. I don't like being apart from you. I miss you so much. You're right, I do have feelings for you and it terrifies me! But I don't want to be afraid of them anymore. Help me, Embry." Then she pulled herself closer by wrapping her arms around my neck and putting her lips gently on mine. I thought my heart would explode! I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her close. I could feel her skin on mine and I deepened the kiss, and she responded quickly. I pulled back and said, "Let's get out of the water before we drown."

She laughed and nodded her head. We swam for shore and walked out of the water. "My stuff is down the beach a little," she said. I reached down and picked up my shoes and shirt and we walked down the beach.

I was afraid to talk. I didn't want to say anything that would fuck this up! She at least admitted that she has feelings for me. That's a step in the right direction. We got to where she had her things laying in a heap. I put my arms around her and pulled her close. I could barely contain myself seeing her in that bikini top. I leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Leah, I want to be with you." I couldn't help it. I couldn't stay away from her any longer!

She whispered back, "Me, too." _Keep it together, man. _Then I found her earlobe with my lips and I nipped at it with my teeth. She shivered.

"I know a little place down the beach that is fairly secluded. Wanna come with me?" I pulled back and looked into her eyes. She stared at me intently and said very quietly, "Yes."

She picked up her things and shoved them in the bag she had. She took my shoes and shirt from me and shoved them in the bag, too. I took the bag from her and took her hand and we ran down the beach. Neither one of us spoke. I felt like I had electricity running through me. Every nerve was raw. The spot I had in mind was behind some rocks, so I helped Leah over them and we found ourselves in a little spot that was sandy, but hidden by the big boulders on three sides. The open side faced the ocean. The sun was sinking quickly and the sky was turning purple, pink and orange. "Do you have a beach towel or something in your bag?" I asked Leah.

"Yes," she answered. She pulled it out of her bag, and I laid it down on the sand. I took her hand and we sat down on the towel.

I looked into her eyes and put my hand on her cheek. "Leah . . ." I put my lips on hers and instantly I felt the fire ignite. I tried to be gentle, but it wasn't long before I had my hands wrapped in her hair and my tongue was caressing hers. She moaned a little in my mouth and I thought I would come undone! We kissed and she ran her hands over my shoulders, and down my arms. I laid her back and took my lips from her mouth and kissed her neck, her throat, and nipped at her shoulder. She put her head back and whispered, "Embry." My hand was running up and down the side of her body. Her skin was so soft, and it felt so good to touch! She pulled my face back to her lips and she licked at mine until I opened them to her.

We devoured each other's mouths. I couldn't take it anymore – her bikini top was driving me crazy! I pulled back and reached up and untied the strings at her neck. She smiled as I pulled the strings down. She looked up at me and I was so amazed at what I saw. She wasn't embarrassed or ashamed. I smiled and leaned over and kissed her. My hand crept up and settled on her . . .

_What the hell? _We pulled apart quickly and she looked at me. "Did you hear that?" she asked quickly.

The wolf call. Sam was calling us all together. It sounded like an emergency!

"Shit! Damnit all to hell!" I muttered. I sat up and ran my hand through my hair.

Leah quickly sat up and pulled her top back up and tied it and smiled at me. "Yea, I second that!"

I laughed and said, "I think I might have to dive in the water real quick. I don't know if I can phase and run in this condition." She nodded and I took off for the water. I dove in and tried to get my body to calm down. _Why now, Sam? You couldn't have waited, oh I don't know, another 15 minutes? _I swam back to shore and Leah had her towel in the bag and was ready to go.

"Do you have the truck?" I nodded. "Can I put this in there?"

"Yea, come on," I said as I took off running down the beach. We ran fast, but I noticed that Leah stayed with me instead of taking off like she usually did. We got to the truck and she threw her bag inside. I took her hand and we ran toward the woods to find a place to undress so we could phase. I stopped and slid my shorts off and smiled at her. She smiled back and untied her top. I turned to give her some privacy, even thought it was killing me. _Oh come on, man! I don't have time to run back into the ocean. _I kneeled down to roll my shorts and tie them to my ankle. "You ready, Leah?"

Just then I saw a blur run by me and Leah phased right in front of me. I smiled and took off and phased on the run. We ran hard to get to Sam's. We were the last ones there. Sam noticed. Everyone was in wolf form.

"_Bout fucking time, you two! _

"_Come on, Sam, what the hell is going on?" _That was Paul. Always itching for a good fight.

"_Jake got word from the Cullens that there is a small group of vampires around. They think these may be newborns due to the damage they found. Three hikers were killed yesterday up on the northern ridge. Emmett and Jasper gave chase to them just an hour ago, but lost them to our side of the line. They want us to spread out and find a trail. They think there is at least three of them out there. Let's stay together in one pack until we pick up something, then we'll split up. Let's go!"_

The pack ran together with our noses to the ground trying hard to pick up a scent. We all knew this woods, every inch of it. If there was something out here, we would find it. We had been out for a short time when we heard Sam. "_There's the stink! You guys got it? To the north!" _

The pack turned north and followed the trail. We hadn't seen anything yet, but we were close. Jared said, "_Another scent – different. Splits here and goes west! What do you want to do?"_

Sam said, "_You Paul and Seth, follow it!" _The three of them broke off and went west. The rest of us stayed with Sam. I kept close to Leah. The scent was stronger. We had to be getting close.

Out of nowhere, a vampire blurred through the pack! _What the fuck! _It was just one, but we were on it. Chasing a vampire is what we were born to do. The adrenaline sped through our bodies, and our hearts were pounding. It was a male and he was fast. But so were we. Sam was out front and almost to it with Jake right behind him. Sam leapt on the leech and took it down. Jake joined in and they had the thing in pieces in no time.

All of a sudden I picked up a new scent! My body was on automatic now, completely focused on the scent. _"Sam! New scent – south!" _Quil heard me and followed me as I stayed on the trail. I saw it just in front of me! I sped up and launched myself onto its back. I took it down and Quil was right there with me. We tore at anything we could get our teeth into. An arm went flying in the woods. A chunk of leg. Suddenly the monster swung its free arm and knocked me off and I flew into a tree. I laid there on the ground, stunned for a moment. We had just learned that newborn vampires were really strong, and this one was no exception. He and Quil were tangled up and all of a sudden he threw Quil off and ran. I shook my head and checked on Quil. He was already up and ready to give chase. I joined him.

We took off and ran after the thing. It was bouncing off of the trees up high where we couldn't reach it. We still followed. We could hear Paul. _"You're running it right at us, Embry. Keep at it! " _He was really excited so we figured he was close. Everyone was thinking at once and shouting, and it was confusing trying to follow everyone. The only voice I wasn't hearing was Leah's.

Quil and I kept chasing the fucking thing and it jumped down onto a ridge, right where Jared, Paul and Seth were waiting. Paul was the first one to jump at it, of course. I couldn't believe what I saw! The thing picked up Paul like he was a toy and was squeezing the shit out of him! Jared and Seth went after him and tore at him until he dropped Paul like a rag doll. I ran over to him to see if he was OK.

"_Paul? Dude? You OK? Paul!" He's out. What do we do with him?"_

Quil came over._ "We need to get him back to Sam and Emily's. Can he phase back?" _We tried to get him to phase, but he was out and couldn't do anything. _"Where are the others?" _We tried to get a read on where everyone was and what was going on. As far as we knew, we got two of them, and there was one more out there somewhere.

Jared and Seth finished up the blooksucker, and came running over. _"He OK?" _Seth wanted to know. _"We don't know. We need to get him back to Sam's. Where is Sam?" _We focused and found Sam and Jake chasing Leah who was chasing the last vampire. She was way out ahead of them, as usual. She jumped at the thing to take it down but it knocked her aside like she was a mosquito. She turned and leapt at it again and it grabbed a hold of her just like that fucking thing did with Paul! _NO, LEAH! _

I left everyone there with Paul and took off. Seth was right behind me. We ran as fast as we could toward where we thought they were. I could see Jake had a hold of the last bloodsucker. I concentrated on him and could see he was tangled with it, but where was Leah?

The next think I heard struck me with terror. It was Sam: _"Embry! Seth! It's Leah! She's hurt! HELP!"_ I took off at top speed and raced to her.

_A/N: I had a tough time with this chapter. I just don't like the vampires, so I have a hard time writing about them. I also know I need to work on action sequences. Not my strong suit! _


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

Embry POV:

I had never run so fast! As I was running, thoughts of what we were doing right before we heard the call flashed through my mind. I tried to stop them, but I couldn't. _Seeing her in that bikini, laying on the sand, her beautiful eyes so liquid black. How it felt to kiss her and touch her . . . _

"_For God's sake, Embry, stop! She's my sister. I want to fucking kill you right now!"_

It was Seth_. "Sorry, bro! I didn't mean to . . ." _

I ran up to her. _"Leah! Leah, baby, I'm here." _I nuzzled her and tried to wake her up. "_Please, Leah, wake up! What the hell happened, Jake?"_

I could see the whole scene play out before me. _"She picked up on the scent and took off. I just happened to see her flash by me and I saw that no one was with her. So I took off after her. You know how fast she is. It took me forever to catch up to her. By the time I did, this fucking leech had picked her up and was crushing her. I jumped on it from behind and it threw her. She hit her head on this rock. I got enough of the fucking thing to get it to back off then it ran. I didn't want to leave her here unprotected. Sam took off after it. Now that you're here, I'm going after him." _Jake took off.

Seth showed up seconds later._ "Leah! Is she OK? Oh God, Leah!" _He pushed her with his nose. She wasn't responding to either of us.

I told him_, "I'm taking her back to Emily's now. I'll try to get her to phase back. It will be easier to help her. Seth, get your mom and take her to Sam's. I'll meet you there." _

Seth took off right away to get his mom. I decided the easiest way to get her to Sam's was to phase into human form and carry her that way.

I phased and pulled my shorts on. Then I carefully picked up Leah's front legs and put them up over my shoulder in a kind of fireman's carry. I stood up and started jogging, Jake right behind me.

"Don't worry, baby. Everything will be OK. It has to be OK," I said to her as I ran.

We made it to Emily's and she already had a bed ready for her. I filled Emily in as I very carefully laid Leah on the bed. Of course as a wolf, she was enormous, and she barely fit onto the bed. I put my head by her ear and started talking softly. "Leah, honey, you have to phase back. We need you to phase so we can take care of you. Come on, baby, you can do it for me." I laid my forehead on her furry one. "Please Leah. I love you. Don't leave me," I whispered. I felt her move, just a little. I pulled my head away and saw her eyelids flicker. "Yes! Come on, Leah. Please baby, phase back."

She was trying. A huge spasm ran through her body, and finally, she phased into human form. I couldn't help but see her naked body, and all of the horrible purple bruises around her rib cage and down her body. That thing had squeezed her so tight, she had to have ribs broken. There was also a big gash on her head where she hit the rock. It was really bleeding now. Emily quickly covered her with a blanket, then threw me a towel and said, "Here, hold this on that gash and try to stop the bleeding."

I put the towel up to her head and said softly, "Leah, can you hear me, baby? Leah!" Her eyes opened very slowly. "Hey," I smiled. "There you are."

"Em . . ." was all she got out.

"Hey, shhh. It's OK. Emily is here and Seth went to get your mom. They should be here any minute. You rest, OK? You got a nasty bump on your head, and I'm sure you have some broken ribs. Just stay still."

"K. Stay?" she said quietly.

"I'm not going anywhere, baby. I will be right here." I took a hold of her hand and squeezed it slightly. She closed her eyes and was still. Emily had gone out to get some water and things to clean up that wound on Leah's head. I pulled the towel back and folded it over to get a clean side. It was bleeding pretty good now.

I heard Seth and Sue come into the house and Emily directed them back to the bedroom. Sue came hurrying in and over to the bed. "Leah? Oh honey!" She had a medical bag with her and she set in on the table by the bed. She took out a stethoscope and asked, "Did she wake up at all?"

"Yea, just for a few seconds then she closed her eyes again," I answered.

She listened to her heart and took her pulse. She said to me, "Pull back the towel and let me see. Wow! That might need stitches. I know you heal fast, but . . . I don't know how fast." She put the towel back on the gash and said to me, "Here hold this again. I think I'll clean it up first then decide. I want to look at her other injuries real quick." Sue lifted the blanked then realized that Leah was naked, so she said to me, "Um, Embry, I need to take a look at her. Can you and Seth wait outside please?"

"I promised her I would stay," I said quietly as I looked down at her beautiful sleeping face.

She stood up and said sternly, "I understand, but I need to examine her. You can come right back when I'm finished."

I nodded and placed a very soft kiss on her forehead. "I'll be right back, baby." I got up and walked out of the room into the hall. Seth came out to stand beside me. Emily went in with a basin of water and a washcloth and towel. She closed the door behind her. I leaned my head back on the wall and closed my eyes. I felt physically sick, like I could puke at any minute.

Seth must have noticed because he said, "You don't look so good, dude."

"I feel like hell, Seth." I put my head up and looked at him. "I just realized how much I love your sister. I hope you can live with that."

He smiled. "Yea, but I can't be around you in wolf form, dude. That was brutal."

"Yea, sorry about that. I didn't do it on purpose. It just . . . happened."

Just then, Jared and Quil came in carrying Paul. They had gotten him to phase back and Emily was directing them to a room in the back. We walked by us and it looked like Paul was still out. They took him into the room down the hall. I looked at Seth and shook my head. I couldn't believe how strong those fucking things were! Stronger than normal vampires.

We waited for what seemed like forever. Finally the door opened and Sue came out. "Well, she has three broken ribs on one side, but as far as I can tell, none of them went through her lungs. She seems to be breathing fine. Her right arm is broken. I reset it and it should heal alright. I went ahead and put a couple of stitches in that gash to make sure it healed properly, and it will protect against infection. Her concussion concerns me the most now. We need to stay with her through the night and keep an eye on her. I know that you all heal unbelievably fast, so I am hoping that by morning, she will be much better."

Seth and I nodded. She looked at me and said, "You can go back in now. We put one of Emily's nightgowns on her." She winked at me.

Emily stuck her head out of the door down the hall and called, "Sue? Can you come and take a look at Paul? We think he may have some broken bones."

"Sure, be right there." She turned to Seth and said, "Come with me. I may need your help holding him while I reset the bones."

Seth gave me a grin and said, "Sure, Mom. Love to!" I laughed at him. _What was it about us that we enjoyed seeing Paul in pain? I guess cause he was such a smart ass, we liked to see him get what was coming to him. _I watched Seth follow his mom down the hall then I turned and went into Leah.

I walked into the room and pulled a chair up to the bed. I sat down and very carefully took her hand. "Hey, Leah. I'm back. And I'm staying." I leaned down and put a gentle kiss on her lips. "I love you," I whispered.

A few minutes later, Sue walked in and touched Leah on the cheek then she looked at me. "I have a feeling that you're in love with my daughter. Am I right?"

I looked up at her and said quietly, "Yes."

"Does she know that?" she asked.

"Not yet. But I plan on telling her as soon as she wakes up," I told her.

She smiled. "I know she has feelings for you, Embry. That's pretty obvious. But she's afraid."

"I know, but she seemed different today. Like she finally came to terms with it or something. I'm not sure."

"Well, all I want is for my daughter to be happy."

"I will do everything in my power to make sure she is. I promise." I meant that.

"I better get back to Paul. Seth and Emily were going to clean him up a little then I am going to look him over. Let me know if she wakes up again, OK?" I nodded and she walked out.

I sat there keeping watch over her, holding her hand and touching her cheek. I was so engrossed in Leah that I jumped when I heard, "Hey, mind if I come in?" I looked up to see Bella standing at the door.

I smiled and said, "No, come on in."

Just then we heard Paul scream out a long list of obscenities. Bella looked at me and I laughed. "Paul has some bones that needed resetting. I guess he woke up at the wrong time." _I smiled to think of Seth holding him down. I hope he was strong enough!_

She nodded and walked over to my side of the room and pulled the footstool that matched the chair over beside me. She sat down on it and leaned over so her head was touching my shoulder. "How is she?"

"Sue says that she should be better tomorrow. She has a few broken ribs, a broken arm, but the worst is a concussion."

Then Bella sat up, looked at me and asked, "But how are you?"

I turned to look at her. "Me? Crazy with worry."

"I remember that feeling well. Sitting all night with Jake when he was hurt was one of the longest nights of my life. I knew that I loved him before that, but I had no idea how much until I almost lost him. It's a scary feeling, isn't it?" Bella gave me a small smile.

I looked at her and smiled. I remembered that night. And the next morning when I walked into Jake's and was surprised to still see her there! "Yea, it is. I really love this girl, Bella. I just realized how much. But she doesn't want me to. Although, right before Sam called us together, we were on the beach and we were . . . well, it was getting pretty hot, you know? She told me she had feelings for me and she was tired of being scared. So maybe . . . I don't know. I guess I don't want to get my hopes up."

She nodded and laid her head back on my shoulder. "Is it OK if I stay here with you? I hate it when Jake is out there. . ." I sighed and said, "Sure, Bella."

And so, there we sat. Both of us waiting for the ones that we loved most in the world to come back to us.

A couple of hours later, Jake came to the door. Bella got up and went to him. He folded her into his arms so naturally. Then he bent his head and kissed her. He smiled at her as she fussed over him. It made my heart ache to watch them. I wanted that so badly with Leah. Bella's right. I hadn't realized how much until now.

"Hey, bro. How is she?" Jake asked.

"The same," I answered. "Did you guys get the fucking blooksucker that did this to her?"

Jake looked at me and said quietly, "No. We ran the whole reservation and beyond. Some of the Cullens joined in, but we lost the trail. I'm so sorry. We'll keep looking."

"Damnit!"_ Damn it all to hell! _I felt the rage start through me, but instantly tried to calm myself. This was the last thing that Leah needed right now. I took her hand and held it.

"Sam asked me to come back and get a report on Leah and Paul. I'm going to get some water then I'll go back out. Seth joined us a little while ago," Jake told me.

I nodded. "Thanks, bro. For going after her. I can't believe I left her like that. I guess I thought she would follow me and Quil. I can't understand why she didn't."

"Hey, this is not your fault, Embry. Don't even go there!" Jake said.

"Yea, whatever," I answered.

Bella walked over and kissed me on the forehead. "Try to sleep Embry. That way, when she wakes up, you can tell her anything you might want to tell her, OK?" She smiled.

I smiled back and said, "OK." They left and I settled back into the chair. I laid my head back, closed my eyes and thought about what _almost _happened on the beach. _Damn bloodsuckers!_ _Talk about rotten timing_. God, how I wanted to make love to Leah. I wanted to show her how I really feel about her. How much I love her. And I was hoping it would make her realize how she felt about me. I couldn't stay away from her anymore. I knew that. I opened my eyes and looked at her. She was sleeping so peacefully. All I wanted to do was hold her and never let anything hurt her ever again.

Leah POV:

_What is that? Snoring? _I tried to open my eyes. _Oh, man, my head! _I had a killer headache! I opened my eyes and looked over to see Embry sitting in a chair beside the bed. He had his head back and his mouth open, and he was snoring softly. I smiled. It was kind of cute, really.

I looked around and tried to figure out where I was. Sam and Emily's? I kind of remembered something about being here. It was dark in the room, but the bedroom door was open and there was light coming through. I looked over at Embry again. "Embry?" I whispered.

He snored again. "Embry!" I said a little louder. _Damn! My head! _I tried to move my right arm, but I couldn't. So I put my left arm up and put my hand on my head.

"Huh? What?" Then he looked at me. "Leah? Hey baby!" He leaned forward and took my hand from my head. "How do you feel?"

"I have the worst fucking headache! " I whispered.

He smiled and said, "Yea, you have a concussion. Your mom is here. She examined you and said that you have some broken ribs and a broken arm."

I could feel the pain in my arm, and my ribs. I told Embry that. "What happened to me?"

"You don't remember?" he asked. I shook my head. "You took off after one of the bloodsuckers , Leah. On your own. Jake followed you, then Sam, but they got there just as the fucking thing picked you up and held you in a vice grip. Then it tossed you to the ground and you hit your head on a rock."

I nodded. I kind of remembered that now. "I'm really thirsty."

Embry stood up and went to the table on the other side of the bed. There was a pitcher of ice water and a cup sitting there. He poured a cup and helped hold my head up so I could drink. I took a few sips and laid back. "Thanks. How are you, Embry? Are you OK?"

"Yea, I'm good." He walked back to the chair and sat down. "Just worried about you."

I smiled. "I'll be OK. I promise." I closed my eyes. I was having a hard time keeping them open. It hurt too much.

He leaned forward so his face was very close to mine. He took my hand and said softly, "Well you better be. Because I love you, Leah. I love you so much. And maybe you don't want to hear it, but that's too damn bad."

_What? Did he just say . . . _I opened my eyes and just looked at him.

"I won't push you, Leah. I just needed to say it." He leaned over and kissed me softly on the lips. "Hey, can you move over?"

I nodded and very slowly slid over. He laid down beside facing me. "This is much better," he said.

I forced my eyes open again and whispered, "I'm really sleepy." My eyes closed and I felt sleep calling me again.

"Me, too," he whispered back.

And so we slept.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Leah POV:

I woke up alone. I must have looked a little panicked because I heard my mom say, "Don't worry, honey. He didn't go far. He went to use the bathroom, and I told him to grab something to eat real quick so I wouldn't have to listen to his stomach growl! That boy is too skinny for a werewolf!" She was sitting in the chair beside the bed.

I smiled. "I hope you weren't mad that he slept here beside me," I said shyly.

She smiled back and said, "No. We had our little talk last night. I know how he feels about you, honey. He's got it bad! Besides, I'm pretty sure all you were doing was sleeping. Right?" I smiled and rolled my eyes. She stood up and went to her medical bag. She took out her stethoscope and listened to my heart then took my pulse. "How are you feeling?"

"My head still kills, but not as bad as last night. My ribs feel better, but my arm still hurts."

She pulled the blanket back and felt gently along my rib cage. "Tell me if you feel any pain."

I shook my head. "Just a little achy, but not that bad."

"Hmmm. Amazing. I remember how quickly Jake healed when he was hurt in the last vampire fight. Let me look at that gash on your head." She gently took my chin and turned my head. "Hmmm, looks good. I'm glad I put those stitches in. It's healing nicely, but there may be a tiny hint of a scar. Alright, honey, just lay here a little longer and rest. I'll bring you something to eat."

She covered me up, stood back and looked down at me and said, "So, how do _you_ feel about _him_?"

"I'm not sure. I think. . . . I might love him. I tried hard to fight it, but Sam and I talked on the beach the other night, and I just realized that I didn't want to fight it anymore. Sam even gave me his blessing to be in love with his brother. Is that weird?"

She smiled and said, "No, it' not. I'm glad. I can see how much Embry loves you. And I know you're scared. But, honey, I'm proud of you for not running anymore. Have you told Embry how you feel?" She handed me a glass of water and a few Tylenol. "This should help with the headache." I popped them in my mouth and took a drink of water.

"Um, no, I haven't," I answered.

She nodded and said, "I need to check on Paul. I'll make sure you get some breakfast. I have a feeling you won't be alone for long." She smiled and walked out of the room and down the hall.

I laid back into the pillows and it was only a few seconds until Sam walked in. He walked around the bed and sat down in the chair. He sat down and stared at me. No greeting. Just an angry stare.

"Uh, hi Sam," I said quietly.

He hung his head for a minute then he looked back up at me and I could see the Alpha talking, not Sam. "Don't EVER do anything that fucking stupid again. You got me?" I just nodded. "You know better, Leah! You're just damn lucky that Jake saw you and we followed you. That thing could have killed you! You know you're faster than all of us. Next time, tell me before you go running off. Got it?"

"I'm so sorry, Sam. I don't know why I did it. I can't remember it very clearly right now. It was stupid, I know. It won't happen again."

"Damn right it won't," he said. Then looked at me. The Alpha was gone, and Sam was back. He took my hand and held it. "Thank God you're alright. Don't ever scare me like that again, Leah. I can't take it."

"I won't. I promise, Sam." I smiled at him and he smiled back. He let my hand go, stood up and put a kiss on my forehead. "I'm going back out. I just needed to see that you were alright. Rest, OK?" I nodded.

Embry had walked into the room just as Sam put the kiss on my forehead.

"Just leaving, bro. Had to make sure she understood that what she did was fucking stupid. I think she got the message." He looked down at me and I said, "Yea. I did." He walked around the bed and took Embry's shoulder. "I'll make sure we find the fucking leech that did this to her and tear it apart limb by limb. Don't worry." Then he was gone.

Embry walked over and sat down in the chair by the bed. "So he yelled at you, huh?"

"Yea. I deserved it. He wasn't as hard on me as I thought he would be. I guess I scared him pretty good."

"Was that what the kiss was for?" he said quietly.

"He kissed me on the forehead. Like my brother does. He cares about me, Embry. But he's not in love with me. And I'm not in love with him. That's over, remember?"

He gave me a small smile. "Sorry. I know. It was still hard to see, though." He picked up my hand and said, "Leah, why didn't you follow me and Quil? When I took off, I guess I just assumed you would follow us."

"I don't know, Embry. It's all kind of a blur. I don't really remember everything very clearly. I should have, I guess."

"I left you, Leah. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry," he said.

"What? You're apologizing to me for my stupid behavior? Come on, Embry. You are not responsible for me, OK? Just because I'm a girl, you all treat me differently. I know I did something stupid, but I have learned and I won't do it again. I don't want you all thinking you have to babysit me."

He laughed. "I don't think that. It's different now that I . . . you know. . . care about you. So, are you feeling better?"

"Yea, some. I'm better now that you're here."

"Well of course you are, baby," he said with his famous Embry grin. _That's the Embry I know!_

I rolled my eyes. "I seem to remember a very different guy here last night. He looked like you, but he claimed his undying love for me."

He leaned in close. "Really? Hmmmm. Sounds familiar." He leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips.

"OK, you two. Knock it off! Mom sent me in here with some food," Seth said as he walked into the room. Embry laughed and helped me to sit up so I could eat. Seth put the tray in front of me.

"Thanks, Seth. You didn't get hurt last night, did you?" I asked. I grabbed the glass of orange juice and took a drink. I was so thirsty!

"Nope. Just you and Paul."

"Paul? What happened to him?" Paul was always the first into a fight, but usually walked away when it was over.

Seth's eyes lit up as he explained. "Same thing that happened to you! That vampire just picked him and squeezed him! Paul looked like a stuffed animal, or something. Then he dropped him. He had some broken bones. Mom let me hold him while she reset them. Man, I never heard anyone cuss like that! But, he's doing better now. Mom thinks he'll be up and around later today."

I smiled. "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it so much." I picked up a piece of toast and bit into it.

He laughed and said, "Well, it's Paul! I mean, I'm glad he's OK, but I guess I'm happy he realized he's not such hot shit, you know?"

"Seth, since you've been hanging out with these guys, your mouth is terrible!" I scolded.

That made Embry laugh. "Look who's talking?" he said to me.

"Shut up!" I said with a laugh. He was right. My mouth was pretty foul sometimes. I picked up a fork and ate my eggs. Seth told us a little more about last night. I knew that Sam, Jake, Jared and Quil were still out there looking for the one that got me. I felt horrible. They must be exhausted!

I finished my breakfast and Seth took the tray back to the kitchen. "Feel better?" Embry asked.

"Yea. I want to get out of bed! I'm so stiff from laying here. Can you help me?" I asked.

"Sure."

I threw back the blanket and put my feet on the floor. Embry put his arm around me and I put my good arm around his neck then stood up. _Whoa! _I fell against him and said, "Sorry! I guess I'm still a little woozy!"

He reached down and scooped me up into his arms. "There. This is easier. More fun, too!" he said.

I smiled. "Yea, I kind of like it." I kissed him.

He carried me out into the kitchen/living room area. Mom and Emily were making food, of course, and Sam was eating. I didn't see anyone else. Seth had followed us out with the tray. He set it on the counter and sat down at the table beside Sam.

Embry set me down into a chair at the table. "You still hungry?" Mom asked.

"No, but I could use some coffee," I replied.

She brought me a cup and poured some coffee into it. "Embry? You want some?" He nodded and she set another cup down on the table and poured coffee into it. She reached over and topped off Sam's cup.

"Thanks," Sam muttered. He looked so tired!

Embry took a big gulp of coffee then said, "Now that I know you're alright, I'm going out to help. Quil and Jared have to need a break by now."

Seth said, "Me, too. I'm ready."

Sam nodded and said, "You can go with me. I'm almost done here." He shoved the last bite of his breakfast in his mouth.

Just then, Quil, Jared, and Jacob came dragging in. Jacob said, "We got her! The last one. The Cullens had her trapped on their side of the line, and we came in behind. She didn't stand a chance." He sat down at the table and put his head in his hands. Jared pulled out a chair and plopped down beside Jake.

"Yes! You sure that was the last one?" Sam asked.

"That's what Emmett said. There were only three. I'm glad cause I'm beat," Jake said as Mom walked over with a plate of food and a cup of coffee and put it in front of him. He looked up and smiled. "Thanks, Sue." She winked at him.

Emily put a plate in front of Jared and he dug right in.

"Quil? You want something?" Mom asked. He was still standing.

"No, thanks, I'm beat. I'm going right home to sleep then I need to go check on Claire to see if she is feeling better. See ya, guys!" He did grab a muffin off of the table then he went out the door.

I looked over at Jacob and said, "Jake, I'm so sorry I went off on my own. It was so stupid. I'm very glad you saw me and followed me. Thank you for saving me. I really owe you."

He looked up from his breakfast and said, "You're damn right that was stupid! I can't believe you did that. Don't ever, EVER do anything like that again!"

I smiled and said, "I know, I won't! I promise! I've already been yelled at by Sam. But thanks for caring."

He rolled his eyes and smiled. "You're welcome. Hey, where's Bella?" he asked looking around.

"She was sleepy so I told her to lay down on my bed," Emily reported.

Emily and Mom quickly got everyone fed. Jake got up to go and check on Bella and Jared said he was heading home. "Has anyone checked on Paul?" I asked.

Sam smiled and said, "I'll go. I'm sure he'll throw a shit-fit when he finds out he missed out on getting the last bloodsucker!" He got up and went down the hall.

Embry had his arm draped over my shoulder. "You should get back to bed. You need some more rest."

I nodded. I was still a little sleepy, and that headache was hanging on. He helped me get up like I was an invalid or something. I told him I wasn't going to break, but I don't think he believed me. Mom came over and said, "I'm going home and taking a nap. You should be fine, honey, but I would like you to rest for the rest of today, OK? If you need something, call me." She hugged my very gently. "Seth? You going home with me?"

He nodded. He stood up and looked at me. "I won't yell at you because Sam and Jake did that for me. I'm just glad you're OK." He actually reached out and hugged me!

"Thanks, little brother. "

"Come on, let's go." Mom said. Seth nodded and they walked toward the door.

Just then, Jacob and Bella walked out into the room. "We're heading home, too. I'm soooooo tired. I feel like I could sleep for days," Jake said. He had his arm around Bella, who still looked a little sleepy, too. "Later!" he said as they walked out the door.

"Come on, let's get you back to bed." Embry took my good arm and helped me walk back to the bedroom. He fluffed my pillows and then helped me sit down on the bed. I laid back on just one side of the bed and patted the other side. He smiled and walked around the bed and laid down beside me on his back.

He was so quiet, I thought he might have fallen asleep. Then he turned toward me and said, "Leah? About what happened on the beach last night. I finally made up my mind to be with you no matter how you feel. I love you, I can't deny that, and I won't. But if you're not ready to say it, I'm OK with that. I just can't stand to stay away from you anymore." He leaned toward me and gave me a gentle kiss. Then he smiled and said, "You are so sexy, Leah. God, when I saw you in that bikini top, I thought I would have a heart attack!"

"Really? You liked that, huh?" I leaned over and kissed him. "Well, you're pretty sexy yourself, you know? I can hardly keep my hands off of you," I said as I ran my hand up and down his arm. "And I love your kisses, Embry. Kiss me again," I whispered. So he did, softly at first then a little more aggressively.

He pulled back and said, "See? You make me crazy!" he said with a smile. "Now stop it! Your mom said you needed rest. So rest!"

I decided to be a good girl for once and do what I was told. My headache was still there, and I still felt sleepy. There would be time to tell him how I was feeling about him later. I closed my eyes and went to sleep content to have Embry right there beside me.


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

Embry POV:

I fell asleep beside Leah, and I was out! I have no idea how long I slept, but when I woke up, Leah was gone. _Where the hell did she go? _I decided I better go find her. I got up and left the bedroom. The house was unusually quiet. I walked out to the kitchen and didn't see anyone. That was creepy! Emily was always around the kitchen somewhere. I walked out to the front porch and there was Leah, sitting on the porch swing. She must have borrowed some clothes from Emily because she was no longer wearing the nightgown. She had on a short sleeved plaid blouse and a pair of jeans, but she was barefoot. I was still just in my shorts. Typical werewolf uniform!

"Hey! You left me all alone in there!" I said as I walked to the swing and sat down.

She smiled and said, "Sorry. I woke up and felt like getting some air. Look! My arm is healed!" She moved it around to show me.

"Great! How's your headache?" I asked.

"Mostly gone. I still feel a little groggy. That's why I wanted the fresh air. And some tea," she said as she held up a cup with a tea bag in it. "I was hungry again, too, so I had a sandwich."

I put my arm around her and pulled her close. I pushed with my foot to make the swing sway back and forth gently. "It is nice out here, isn't it?"

She nodded. We sat there quietly swinging, just enjoying the moment.

After a while, Sam came out on the porch and said, "Oh, here you are! Wondered where you went."

"I just needed some fresh air. Emily still sleeping?" Leah asked.

Sam nodded and stretched his arms out over his head with a yawn then put them down. "Man it was a long night. I am glad they got the last one this morning, cause we got a wedding to get ready for! It's only a couple of weeks, now." he said with a grin.

_Geez Sam! Rub it in. _I looked at Leah right away. She surprised me by smiling and saying, "Oh that reminds me. Emily asked me to be her maid of honor. I want to say yes, but I wanted to make sure you were OK with that, Sam. Are you?" _What? Maid of honor? She never told me that!_

Sam looked down at the floor for a moment then back at Leah. "Yea. It's OK with me. Are YOU sure?"

Leah got up from the swing and stood in front of Sam. She took a deep breath and looked up at him and said, "Yes, I really am. I am finally past this, Sam, and I am so sorry for all of the misery it caused for all three of us. What you and I had was very special, and I will always remember it that way. But you and Emily belong together. I know that now." She wrapped her arms around his waist and he pulled her close. _God, that's hard to watch. I have this insane feeling to rip his fucking hands off of her! _"Thanks Leah," I heard him said softly. He let her go and she turned to me.

"I know that because I have this hot stud over here who thinks he's in love with me!" She turned back to Sam and asked, "Can you imagine that? How lucky am I to catch the biggest ladies' man this place has ever seen?"

He cracked up at that one. I stood up and smiled at her and said, "You think you're pretty cute, don't you?"

"Yea, I do. And apparently, so do you!" She laughed. I pulled her close and kissed her. _That shut her up!_

"Hey guys. I'm OK with this, really I am. But, don't hurt each other, you know? I hate to have to say it, but as Alpha, I have to say that it wouldn't be good for the pack to go through that again."

We both nodded at that.

"Well, Embry. Looks like I'm in need of a best man. You up for the job, bro?" Sam asked me.

_Did I hear him right? Best man? _I stammered, "What? Me?"

"Uh, yea! You're my brother. I want you there with me. You OK with that?" he asked with a big smile.

_Wow. My brother is asking me to be his best man. Yea, I'm really OK with that! _"Uh, yea, sure! I would be happy to do that! Thanks, Sam," I answered.

"No problem. Just don't show up without the ring, or I'll kick your ass!" he said as he tousled my hair.

I rolled my eyes and Leah laughed.

"I'm going to get a sandwich or something. Man, I'm always hungry!" he said as he turned and walked into the house.

I sat back down on the swing. _I can't believe that Sam asked ME to be his best man._ I still wasn't used to thinking of Sam as my big brother. It was pretty cool.

"You OK?" Leah asked as she sat back down beside me. "Best man, huh?"

"Yea, can you believe that? Me? Blew me away, man." I shook my head in amazement.

"Well, you are his brother, Embry. Did you forget that?" she asked.

"Yea, sometimes I do. I mean, I'm not used to it yet, you know?"

"Well, I think it's great. You're the best man, and I'm the maid of honor. A few weeks ago if you had told me that, I would have popped you one. No way I ever saw any of this coming." She laughed and said, "Sam and I talked about that the other night on the beach. We thought how strange it was that he was with my cousin, and I'm with his brother!"

"You and Sam talked? On the beach? When?" I asked her. _Why didn't she tell me that either? _

She looked down and said quietly, "After you and I talked and you left. You know, when you told me to leave you alone. She paused and looked back up. "Sam came to check on you and found me crying. He sat down and we had a really good talk. I think we both needed it, you know, for me to move on."

"Really. Hmmm." I looked off of the porch into the woods.

She put her hand on my arm and asked, "Embry? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." _No, it wasn't nothing! _ "When were you going to tell me about that?" I looked over at her and added, "Or were you?"

Her eyes grew wide and she said, "What? I would have, but we had a little vampire problem interrupt things, if you remember correctly. Are you upset because I talked to Sam?" Her hand dropped from my arm.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't' know. Kind of."

She shook her head and said, "What is up with you, Embry? I thought you would be happy that I talked to Sam. It was good for us to talk. We got a lot of things out that needed to be said. But we spent most of the time talking about you."

"Me? Why?" I asked with surprise.

"Because you were so pissed at me and I couldn't think of anything else! I was crying my eyes out over you! And, I was trying to figure out what was going on with us. I mean, it was really weird talking to Sam, of all people, about it, but he made me look at this differently. I mean, the physical part, you know? It's been . . ."

I cut her off with, "You talked to my brother about us . . . being 'physical?' Did you tell him that we had sex?" _Oh my God, I can't believe this!_

"Well, um, I didn't mean to, but yea, he knows," she admitted sheepishly. I was instantly pissed! I ran my hands through my hair, but before I could say anything, she went on, "But listen! He said he should have known because of the wolf thing. It seems that after we phase, we all become more physical, sexually. He said all of the guys have talked about it. It made me feel a little better because I have felt like such a slut lately. That's not me, Embry! The way I forced you to . . . "

"God, Leah, will you stop talking like you raped me? I can't take that anymore! I'm a man, Leah. I wanted you. OK? Can we please acknowledge that fact?" She nodded. I lowered my voice and said, "He's my brother, Leah. How can I face him knowing that he knows what we have been doing? He loved you, for God's sake! This has to be hard on him. I know it's killing me just knowing you talked to him without telling me, and seeing him put that kiss on you this morning? I can't imagine how I would feel to know that you slept with him!"

She closed her eyes and got real quiet. She put her head down. I shook my head. _What a fucking idiot I am. _"Oh God, Leah. You did, didn't you. You slept with him. You had sex with my brother!" I got up and took a few steps away from the swing. I couldn't be near her right now. I felt rage going through me and I didn't want to do anything stupid.

She got up and walked up behind me and said quickly, "Embry, you know that was a long time ago. It only happened once, and it was right before he phased for the first time. I loved him, Embry! It just happened!"

_She loved him. She LOVED him. Not me. _I felt my whole body shaking. You did it with Sam because you _loved _him." I turned to look at her and said, "Why did you do it with me, Leah? Because you _wanted _me, you _needed_ to be with me. Because you just wanted to fuck me?"I yelled. I just looked at her and all of a sudden I was physically sick. "I'm out of here!" I turned and ran for the truck.

"Embry! Stop it! Come back here!" she shouted after me.

I jumped in the truck, started the engine and slammed it in gear. I threw dirt and stones all over as I tore out of the driveway. I drove down the road about a mile and had to stop. I opened the door and puked my guts out. When I finished I laid my forehead on the steering wheel. _Why can't she love me like she loved Sam? Why?_

Leah POV:

_Oh my God! What have I done?_ I watched him run and get in the truck and tear out of the drive. The tears ran down my face. _What am I going to do? I can't let him go! _I ran down the steps, but knew I couldn't catch him.

Emily walked out onto the porch and saw me. "Leah? What's wrong? Where's Embry going?" she asked as she walked over to me.

I watched his truck drive down the road. "He's gone. He . . . is really upset with me, Emily."

She put her arm around me and asked, "I can't believe that. I watched him sit with you all night. He refused to leave your side for one minute! He loves you, baby girl. He's got it bad!"

I turned to her and said, "Yea, I know. That's the problem. He loves me, Emily. I know he does. But I've been holding back because I'm so afraid. And . . . I was trying to tell him that I had feelings for him, and that I want to let go and love him. But, I told him that I had talked to Sam about it, and . . . well, that's when he got pissed."

She smiled and said, "Sam told me the two of you talked. He said he thought it was a good talk. That you both needed it to move on. I guess Embry didn't take it the same way?" _He told her? I wondered if he told her everything._

I shook my head. "It's not just the talk, Emily. I hadn't told him that . . . " I closed my eyes. _How could I say this to her?_ "Embry thought I was a virgin when we . . . had sex. He just found out I wasn't. I let him know that Sam and I did it once. A long time ago right before he phased. I'm sorry, Emily."

She didn't looked shocked! She calmly said, "I know, Leah. Sam told me when we first got together. I already suspected. I mean, I know you two really loved each other."

"Yea, that's Embry's point! I said that I did that with Sam because I l_oved_ him. I did it with Embry once, but because I couldn't stop myself. I wanted to have sex with him, Emily. It was pure lust. Sam told me that we are more physical now that we phase. Cause, I know it wasn't like that with Sam and me, you know? I wasn't like that at all. But, I do have feelings for Embry. God, I've made this such a mess!" I felt like I was falling apart again. _ God, I hated this! When did I become such a . . . woman! _ I put my face in my hands.

Emily put her arm around me. "Come on, Leah. You can fix this."

I put my head up and wiped my face. "I need to talk to him, Emily! I need to make him understand!"

"OK. Where do you think he was going?" she asked.

"Um, I don't know. Maybe home, or Jake's garage, or to the beach. He goes there when he needs to think about something."

"OK. I'll get the car and we will drive by his house. And if his truck isn't there, we will try Jake's and the beach, OK?"

I nodded. "Thank you, Emily."

She smiled and said, "What are friends for?"

We found his truck at his Jake's. Emily pulled up beside it and looked at me. "Are you sure? You don't want to give him some time to cool down?"

"No, I need to talk to him now. Thanks, Emily." I said and opened the car door.

She smiled and said, "No problem. You call me later, OK?"

"I will, I promise!" I closed the door and walked into the garage. "Embry? You here?" I didn't see him right away. I walked around the car that was sitting there and saw him sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. I walked over and stood in front of him and said, "Embry? Can we talk? Please?"

He didn't say anything. He just sat there. He wouldn't even look at me.

_This is going to be harder than I thought._ I sat down beside him and just started talking, "Embry, I am so sorry. I know I should have told you, but at first, I guess I thought you already knew. I mean, Sam and I were together for a long time, and . . . I just assumed you would think. . . then, later, I just didn't know how to bring it up. It only happened once. We didn't plan it, it just happened." I waited. Nothing. He was still just staring at the floor.

"Embry, what happened between me and Sam is in the past! I thought you already accepted that! We've all moved on, remember? I can't change what's in the past. I'm so sorry that I didn't wait for you to be my first. But you have to know, that what I had with Sam was NOTHING like what I have with you. NOTHING!"

Nothing. No words. Not even a look.

I hung my head. _What else can I say? _

I looked at him, even though he wouldn't look at me, and I said, "I hope you can forgive me for not telling you, Embry, because I do care about you. More than I wanted to. I think I might even . . ." I stopped. I could feel tears coming and I didn't want him to see me cry. I shook my head and stood up to leave.

"Leah . . . wait."

I looked down at him and saw the unshed tears in his eyes. I sunk back down onto the garage floor and waited for him to speak.

Embry POV:

I hung my head. I was embarrassed and ashamed of myself. I was acting like a fucking baby over something that happened a long time ago. I just sat there like an ass and said nothing. What could I say? _"It's OK you fucked my brother. I'll get over it." _I closed my eyes and shook my head. I really didn't need that mental picture in my head! I'm glad I hadn't seen it while we were patrolling. They both had hidden that pretty deep for it not to come out before this. I guess that means something . . .

I opened my eyes and looked at Leah_. Time to grow up, Embry. __You can let this make you angry and ruin everything you have with the two most important people in your life, or you can suck it up and move on. Leah's right. You can't change what happened in the past. Just leave it there. _

Leah was sitting there, patiently waiting for me to say something. I could see the worry and fear in her eyes. Fear that I had put there.

Finally I said, "Leah, I'm sorry. I'm acting like a fucking baby about something that happened a long time ago. I guess it just caught me off guard. But I should have guessed, you know? I mean, I know that you loved . . . anyway, you're right. It's in the past and we can't change it, so we'll leave it there." I stopped and took a deep breath and said, "I guess what upset me the most is hearing you say that you _loved _Sam, and that's why it happened." I turned to her and asked softly, "Why can't you love me, Leah? Why can you love Sam, but not me?"

She crumbled. Tears instantly spilled from her eyes onto her cheeks. "Embry, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to . . . hurt you . . . like that!" she hiccupped. She put her head down and I could see her shoulders shake and hear her crying.

I just sat there. I couldn't hold her or comfort her. I needed an answer to my question! I needed to know if she loved me. I NEEDED that! I turned to her and took a hold of her shoulders and yelled, "Leah! Damnit! I can't fucking take this anymore!" I shook her and pleaded, "You said you have feelings for me. Please, baby! Please just tell me! If you love me, even a little, please, tell me!" She had her head down and I yelled, "Leah! Look at me!"

She picked her head up and looked at me. "I do. I do love you, Embry. I didn't want to! I tried not to, but I can't help it! I love you, OK! I LOVE YOU!" she screamed.

I pulled her into my arms and held her. I pulled her as close as I could and held on tight. "Oh, baby, my Leah." I pulled back and crushed my lips onto hers. She responded quickly and wrapped herself around me. We took what we needed from each other until we were gasping for air. I pulled away and looked at her. Her eyes were so red from crying and I felt so bad about forcing her to say that she loved me. Now I knew how she felt about forcing me to make love to her.

"Leah? I'm sorry I forced you to say it. I told you that I would give you time, and then I . . ."

"Embry! I'm glad you did! I just told Mom today that I wanted to tell you how I felt. I do love you, Embry." She smiled at me and I reached out and touched her cheek. She put her hand up to cover mine. "Believe it or not, I was trying to get to that when you got so mad at me." She leaned in and kissed me again, this time softly. "I wanted you to know that the talk with Sam helped me move on and realize that I do love you. And, that we talked about this stupid imprinting thing. Can I tell you now?"

I let her go a little so she could talk. "Yea, I guess. OK." I said.

She explained to me how she and Sam talked about how we imprint to preserve the pack. _Yea, I knew that._ "But since we never had a female wolf, the guys always imprinted on someone outside the pack. Now we have a female wolf, me, and he thinks that I probably would not imprint on someone outside the pack. What if I am drawn to you and you are in turn drawn to me? Think about it, Embry! From the very beginning, we haven't been able to keep our hands off of each other! And the way I have been with you. Embry, I've never been like that, ever! I was never like that with Sam at all. It's you, Embry. I want you. Very badly. All the time!" she said with a smile.

I laughed and said, "Well, who doesn't, baby?"

She rolled her eyes and said, "Believe it or not, I miss that Embry."

I leaned over and kissed her, slowly and tenderly. I put my forehead to hers and said, "Leah, I hope to God that this theory is true. I can't take worrying about this fucking imprinting thing anymore. It's killing both of us."

"I know." She lifted her head and looked me in the eyes and said, "Will you forgive me, Embry? Please?"

I smiled and took her in my arms. "There's nothing to forgive, baby. This is done. I love you, Leah."

"I love you, too, so much," she whispered. And then we kissed, and I felt like all was right with the world again.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

Embry POV:

Leah was all healed and we were doing light patrol duty again, thank God! It took us all awhile to catch up on our sleep after the newborns swept through. Summer was almost over and in a couple of weeks, I would be going back to school for my senior year, as much as I hated to. I would still be helping Jake out at the garage after school, so I would have to try and fit in homework between work, patrolling and spending time with Leah. But, I did have something to look forward to. My birthday was tomorrow and I would be 18! Man, I had been waiting for that day for what seemed like forever!

Leah was taking me out tonight. She said we should go out for my birthday, even though it wasn't "officially" my birthday until tomorrow. She declared it my "Birthday Weekend" and decided we were celebrating both days! I was wearing my nice khaki shorts and a new brown v-neck t-shirt my mom had bought me. I hoped it was nice enough. I wanted to look good for her. I even put on cologne again! She seemed to really like that the last time we went out.

Just then I heard her knock on the door. _Shit! _I wanted to be ready to meet her outside. I really didn't want her to see my house. It was pretty dumpy compared to hers! I went to the door and opened it and said, "Hey! I'm ready so let's go!" I tried to push my way past her, but she got by me and walked in.

"I want to see where you live, Embry. We've been hanging out for months, and I've never been here! Is your Mom home?" she asked.

"Nope. She's working some overtime today."

She walked over to the wall where Mom had a couple of school pictures of me hanging there. "Awwww, you're so cute! You have to get out some photo albums for me sometime. I want to see more of Little Embry," she said with a big smile.

I rolled my eyes. "Yea, sure, whatever. Let's go, OK?" I pulled her arm toward the door, but she wasn't moving.

"Embry? What's the problem? Why are you in such a hurry?" she asked me as she jerked her arm out of my grasp.

I took a deep breath and said, "Why do you think I don't invite you over? You can see now that it's nothing like where you live. I mean . . ."

"What the hell, Embry? Do you really think I'm that much of a snob? I like your little house. It's just right for the two of you, and it's what your mom can provide for you. She's a working single mom, and that's not easy! I think she's doing a great job! You should be grateful that you have a place like this to live!" _Man, she was pissed! _

I took a hold of her arms and said calmly, "Yes, Leah, I know my mom works hard to provide for me. You don't have to lecture me, OK? I'm sorry. I was just a little embarrassed."

"Well, you don't have to be with me, OK? Now, show me your room. I want to see where you sleep," she ordered.

"Fine, come on," I said as I took her hand and we went down the tiny hallway to my room. I stopped at the door and said, "I didn't know you were coming, so it's kind of a mess."

"That's OK. You're a guy. I expect it to be a mess," she said with a smile.

I opened the door and she walked in. I went in behind her and we filled up the whole room! I had a twin size bed on one side of the room under the window, and a small dresser with a mirror over it on the other side. I didn't have a closet, so I had some shelves with junk on it beside the dresser. I had a Seattle Mariners pennant hanging on the wall that Quil gave me when we were in the 5th grade, and a couple of band posters from when I was in middle school. I just never took them down. I was never in here really, except to sleep. The bed was unmade and there were dirty clothes on the floor. "It's not much, but its home," I said quietly.

She turned to me and said, "Yea, it is. Thanks, Embry. Now when I think about you sleeping at night, I'll have a better picture in my head." She smiled at me.

"You think about me sleeping at night?" I asked her.

"When I get into bed at night and close my eyes to go to sleep, I think about you doing the same. Silly, huh?"

I took her in my arms and said, "No, it's not. I think about you at night, too, but it usually doesn't have anything to do with sleeping." I bent forward and kissed her. She sighed and wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back. We kissed for a little while and I said against her lips, "We could play out one of those fantasies right now, if you want."

She pulled back and smiled, "Tempting, very tempting. But we have a birthday to celebrate! Come on!" She took me by the hand and pulled me out the door to her mom's car. She started it up and drove us toward Forks. "This is really weird – you driving!" I said.

"What? Why? I'm a good driver!" she said.

"Yea, I don't mean you're not a good driver! It's just that I drive us everywhere in the truck," I explained.

She laughed. "Geez, Embry. This is making you a little uncomfortable, isn't it? ME picking you up, ME taking you out. You like to be the 'guy' and do all that, don't you?"

"Yea, I do, and there is nothing wrong with that! The guy is supposed to do that shit. This just isn't natural, that's all."

She laughed at me again. "I'm sorry. I don't want you to be uncomfortable. I just wanted to do something nice for you for your birthday. I'll tell you what. If you are a good boy and let me pay for the movie and popcorn, I'll let you make a move on me during the movie, how's that?"

"Well, I was going to do that anyway, but OK," I said with a laugh.

There was one little movie theater in town, and they were playing some super hero movie. Leah bought the tickets, some popcorn and pop and we went inside to find a seat. We sat down just as the previews were starting.

I hadn't been to a movie in a long time. I wasn't really into watching movies. I mean, I usually only brought girls here to make out. Leah had told me that she and Sam used to go to the movies every Friday night, and she had stayed away because of the memories. I looked over at her to see how she was doing. She seemed fine. She really was over Sam. FINALLY!

We finished the popcorn, and I put my arm around her and pulled her close. I leaned over and smelled her hair then kissed her on top of the head. _Man, she always smells so good! _I leaned in and made my move that I promised, and she smiled at me and we made out some. I kept my arm around her and we settled in to watch the movie.

After it ended, we walked out hand-in-hand. "Did you like the movie?" I asked her.

"Yea, I actually did! How about you?" she said.

"It was better than I thought it would be. Seth was telling me that some of his friends had seen it and they thought it was 'freakin' awesome!' so I expected it to be lame. But it was pretty good!"

"Yea, Seth and his friends have a little bit different taste in movies than I do!" she agreed. "Usually a lot of karate crap and cars and buildings blowing up every few minutes." I laughed as we had to wait at the corner to cross the street to the car.

"So, now what?" I asked while we were waiting.

"Well, since it is such a nice evening, I think we should drive back to LaPush and take a walk on the beach. How does that sound?" She had stopped and put her arms around my waist and was looking up at me.

I put my arms around her and said, "I think that is a fine idea." I bent down and put a quick kiss on her lips.

"OK, let's go!" She ran across the street and got into the car. I laughed and followed her.

She drove us back to LaPush and we talked about the movie. We even made plans to go again. She liked one of the previews that we had seen and I told her this time I would take her and pay for everything. She just rolled her eyes at me.

We pulled up to her house and she said, "I need to take my purse and mom's keys into the house. Be right back!" She got out of the car and ran inside. I got out to wait for her. I looked up and noticed all the stars. It was a beautiful night. A perfect night for a walk on the beach. And a little something else if I was lucky!

She bounced back down the walk to me. "OK, ready to go?"

"Yea, sure. Come on." I took her hand and started toward the woods. We found the trail through the woods behind her house that leads to the beach. We broke through the trees and walked out onto the beach and I noticed a bonfire down the beach. I pointed it out to Leah.

"Hmmm, yea. Guess we won't have the beach all to ourselves tonight," she said, sounding disappointed.

"We can go somewhere else, if you want," I offered.

"Nope. This is fine."

We walked down the beach and as we got close to the bonfire, little Claire came running at us. "Happy Birfday, Embwey!" she shouted as she hurled herself at me! I caught her and held her up in the air as she giggled.

"How did you know it was my birthday?" I asked her as I held her close and gave her tummy a tickle.

"Cause of the party, duh!" Claire said.

"Party? What party? For me?" I asked. I looked over at Leah.

She nodded. "Yes! Surprise!"

I looked at Claire and she said, "SU-PIZE!" Then she gave me a wet, sticky kiss on the cheek. I laughed and carried her toward the bonfire.

We walked up and everyone yelled out "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" I looked over at Leah and smiled and said, "You were in on this, weren't you?"

"Maybe," she answered with a sly smile.

I gave Claire's tummy another tickle and kissed her on the cheek then put her down and she ran back to Quil. I looked around to see who all was here. All of the pack was here, plus Emily, Bella, Kim, Clair, Billy Black and Jake's sister, Rachel, who just got back from college, Sue and Charlie, Bella's dad. And then I saw her. _What? Mom? _She was standing off to the side with Sue. I looked over at Leah with a little bit of shock then I walked toward my mom.

"Hey Mom! I'm glad you're here!" I said as I hugged her. She wrapped her arms around my waist and held me tight. I pulled back and smiled at her.

"Embry, I know. About you. And, I'm proud of you," she said with a shaky voice.

"What? Mom, what are you talking about?" I asked.

Leah walked up beside me and Sue said, "Sam talked to the elders about letting her know. He knew it would be easier on the two of you if she knew. We told her about the pack and you being a part of it. How you inherited it from your father. Billy and I talked to her this afternoon. I think she's still trying to get used to the idea."

_Wow. _"Are you OK with this?" I asked her.

She laughed and said, "Well, I guess! It's still quite a shock, but now that I know that you're not in some gang out dealing drugs or something, I feel a lot better!"

I laughed and hugged her again. "God, I'm so glad you know. It's been hell keeping it from you."

Sam came over and said, "Geez, bro! Quit bawling all over your mom and let's party! We're hungry and they wouldn't let us eat until you got here!"

I laughed and yelled out, "LET'S PARTY!" and everyone cheered and made a beeline for the food. I turned to Leah and took her in my arms and said, "Thank you. This is fucking awesome!"

"You're welcome!" Her eyes were sparkling. She looked so happy! "I didn't do it all myself. Jake and Emily helped, too."

_Man, I can't believe they did this for me! And now Mom knows about me. What a relief! _I turned to my mom and realized that she had never met Leah! I said, "Hey, Mom, this is Leah. I guess since we went to a movie tonight, we are now 'officially' dating."

She rolled her eyes at me and said to my mom, "It's really nice to meet you . . ."

"Angela Call. But, please, call me Angie," she added then she gave me a look. _What an idiot! I didn't even say her name!_

"OK, nice to meet you, Angie!" she said with a smile.

"Hey, I want to thank Jake. I'll be back!" I went behind him and picked him up and shook him. "Thanks, bro. For the party," I said as I set him down. "This is amazing, really." He turned and laughed and then punched me. We were so good at showing affection!

"You deserve it, Embry. We've been working really hard this summer. It's time for a party!" he said.

We walked over to try and get some food. There was plenty. Sue and Emily out did themselves! They made all of my favorite foods, especially Sue's potato salad. I couldn't believe they would go to all of this trouble just for me. It kind of freaked me out a little, but made me really happy.


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

Embry POV:

Leah and I filled our plates and were sitting on a blanket on the sand eating when I looked over and noticed Paul was practically glued to Rachel's side the whole time we had been here. I set my plate down and said to Leah, "I want to say hi to Rachel." She nodded and followed.

I walked over to her, pulled her up into a big bear hug. "Oh my God! Rach? When did you get back?"

I let her go and she laughed and said, "Just today, actually! God, Embry, you're huge! What happened to that scrawny little kid that used to hit on me all the time?"

"Hey, baby, you missed out! I got me another girl, now." Leah was standing behind me. I stepped back and put my arm around her.

"No way! Leah? Leah Clearwater? Oh my gosh! How long have I been gone! You're gorgeous girl!" She gave her a big hug. "Wow, it is so good to be back here. I've really missed everyone!" she said.

"I want to hear about college!" Leah said. Rachel was more than happy to oblige. They started talking and I moved over to talk to Paul who was staring at Rachel.

"What's up with you, dude? You look like a love-sick puppy," I said quietly. "It's like you're glued to Rachel or something."

Paul looked at me and said, "I don't know, Embry. I feel really weird. I hardly know Rachel. I knew Jake had twin sisters, but I don't remember much about her. And she shows up and I looked at her and it was like . . . the earth moved or something. I almost fucking passed out, you know? It's weird! I can't stop looking at her. She's so hot! I just want to be with her, you know?"

_Uh-oh. Another one bites the dust. _"Uh, Paul. I think you need to tear yourself away for just a minute, dude. We need to talk to Sam." _Man is Jake going to be pissed! _I touched Leah on the arm and said, "We are going to go talk to Sam. We'll be right back." She nodded and went on talking to Rachel.

"Sam!" I hollered. He looked at us and Paul and I walked toward him. "We need to talk. I believe that Paul here has just imprinted on Jake's sister." We moved away from the crowd a little.

Paul shot me a look. "What? What the hell did you just say?"

"Are you shitting me?" Sam asked. He always had such a colorful way of putting things. Must be a family thing!

"Paul. Tell him what happened when you saw Rachel," I commanded. He told Sam the same thing he told me. Sam got a big smile on his face and slapped Paul on the back.

"Congratulations, bro! You are IN LOVE!" He looked at me and we just cracked up at the look on Paul's face.

"Oh shit," he said. His face was priceless! He looked so lost.

"Oh wait," I said. "Hey Jake! Come here a minute, will ya?"

Jake looked up from his plate of food and yelled, "I'm eating, what do you want?"

"Believe me, it's important!" I yelled back. He put his plate down beside Bella and came jogging over.

"What's going on?" he said.

I looked at Sam and he looked at me with a big shit-eatin' grin. "Take a look at Paul. Does he look different to you?" I asked him.

Paul looked up with that lost look on his face. "What the hell, Paul? What's wrong with him?" Jake asked.

I looked at Sam and nodded. Sam put his hand on Jake's shoulder and said to him, "He just imprinted. On your sister."

"What the fuck did you just say?" Jake said very quietly and evenly.

"You heard me, dude. He imprinted on Rachel."

Paul looked up at Jake and said, "I'm sorry, bro. I don't know what happened!"

Sam and I couldn't take it anymore. We lost it and laughed our asses off! Jake was fuming! He wanted to kick the shit out of Paul, but he knew he couldn't with everyone around. And there was Paul. The one who was always ready for a fight, looking like he was going to hurl at any moment. What a great birthday!

Just then Rachel and Leah walked over and Leah said, "What the hell is going on over here? What's so funny?" That got Sam and I laughing all over again.

"Jacob? Are you OK? You look really pissed about something?" Rachel asked him. Oh, I couldn't take it anymore! I took Leah by the hand and we walked away and I filled her in on what happened.

"Paul? Imprinted?" she asked. "Jake wants to kill him, doesn't he?"

I nodded. "Yea, can you imagine those two patrolling together? Oh man, I gotta be in on that one!"

Leah looked at me and said, "You know, you seem to be enjoying this just a little too much. Come on. Give Paul a break."

"Are you fucking kidding me? Paul NEVER gives any of us a break! He has a bigger mouth than me and he's always shooting it off. Nope. I am going to enjoy this. What a great birthday!" I said with a grin.

Leah rolled her eyes and shook her head at me. "Come on, let's get more to eat. I'm still hungry."

After I ate at least 4 plates of food, Jake and Quil reminded me that they had a special present for me. _Yea, special!_

"Well, it will have to wait. We have some presents for you to open, you know!" Leah said.

"What? You didn't have to do that. This party is enough." I told her.

Leah and Claire brought wrapped presents over and set them in front of me. Everyone was sitting or standing around watching me. Claire insisted on helping me open my presents, so I let her. She's just so cute!

Sue gave me a couple of pairs of new shorts, because she said she knew that 'these boys never had enough clothes!' Billy made me a wooden box, carved with the same symbol as our tattoos. It was really awesome. Jake gave me a socket wrench set because he said 'he was sick and tired of me always stealing his!' Claire colored a picture for me that she presented to me with a hug and a giggle, and Quil gave me a new wallet 'to hold all that money I was making with Jake.' _I couldn't believe it. All of this for me._

Emily came over with this wrapped box and gave it to me. I opened the box and took out a book. It was a special scrapbook full of the Uley family history. There was a beautiful family tree that Emily had drawn and she added pictures of each person. It was almost a work of art instead of scrapbook! "Oh my God, Emilly. This is amazing," I said as I looked through it.

"I did the artwork and Sam found the pictures and added all of the history. We are making another one for our baby, and he or she can hand it down to their children. We hope you will do the same." Then she bent down and kissed me on the cheek. "We love you, Embry." I found myself blinking back tears as I stared at the book. There was a picture of _him_, Joshua Uley. I glanced at my mom and saw here staring at the picture. I could see what she meant about the eyes. They did look familiar. I wondered what it was like for her not knowing what happened to him. I closed the book and said, "I'll look at it when I have more light. Thank you so much you guys." I stood up and hugged Emily.

Sam stepped up and said, "Pretty amazing, huh?

"Thanks, Sam. This means a lot." I hugged him and he pounded me on the back in a typical "bro hug" fashion.

I stepped back and said, "OK! Enough chick shit! Let's Party!" I yelled out. Jake and Quil came running over and picked me up and took me down to the water and threw me in.

This was a tradition we started back when we were little kids. Every year on Jake and I's birthdays, we throw each other in the water. Quil's birthday is in the winter, so we throw him into the snow.

The three of us came back on shore and shook like dogs right on Bella and Leah, who screamed at us. We all laughed and I said, "Maybe we should start spreading this tradition around? Isn't Bella's birthday coming up soon, Jake?"

She gave me a look that said, "_I'll kill you_." I just cracked up! "Uh, no. No more birthdays for me," Bella said.

Jake laughed and said, "It's OK, babe, I'll protect you." Then he planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Embry, get your ass over here so we can cut the cake! I've been waiting all day for a piece of this thing," Sam called out. I jogged over to the table where Emily had set up this enormous cake. Everyone sang a very off-tune version of _Happy Birthday_, and Emily cut the cake. It was delicious, just like I knew it would be.

I looked around and couldn't believe that this party was for me! It was amazing that I had so many good people in my life. I loved all of them, and would be lost without them. I couldn't wait to get home and look through the book that Emily made for me. Wow. That was awesome! I was still getting used to being an Uley.

Everyone settled in around the fire. Billy shared one of the old legends with us. It meant so much more to me now that I knew where I came from. My mom was sitting with me and I watched her face as Billy talked. She was mesmerized. I was so happy that she knew and I could share this with her. He finished the story and everyone started chatting again. I looked at Leah and nodded my head toward Billy. She smiled and nodded and we walked over to him.

"Hey, Billy. Can we talk to you a minute?" I asked him. He smiled and said, "Sure. What's up?"

I explained to him the theory that Sam came up with. "What do you think? Is that possible?"

He thought for a minute and said, "Well, he's right about one thing. Leah, you are a mystery to all of us. We don't know why you phased. It's never happened before. But I do think he's right that you would not imprint on someone outside of the pack. Imprinting is about preserving the gene. I believe you would choose another pack member. I am not sure why Embry, or why now."

We nodded and I looked at Leah. "Billy, I know I feel very different. When I was with Sam, neither one of us had phased. We were just normal humans. I know I was younger, but it was very different between us. I know I loved him, and he loved me. But it wasn't . . . " she looked at me and I nodded "physical like it is between me and Embry. I feel like I need him, or crave him." She looked embarrassed and said, "This is so hard, sorry."

Billy laughed and said, "It's OK, Leah. I know. Go on."

"It's very physical, but not just physical. I love him very much. It took me a long time to admit it because I was so afraid I would fall in love with him and he would imprint on someone else, like Sam. I can't go through that again. So, I guess that's why this is so important to me. I want to know I won't have to worry about that."

"I wish I could tell you for sure that you won't have that worry. Imprinting is very difficult to predict. But how do you feel about Leah?" Billy asked Embry.

"I can pinpoint exactly when it changed for me, Billy. I saw her walk out of the water on the beach, and even though I was with another girl at the time, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. It took everything I had not to get up and run to her. Got me in big trouble with that girl! That night, I kissed her and nothing has been the same for me. I think about her all the time, I crave her touch, her kiss. She makes me crazy! I love her. I can't be without her." I looked at her and smiled and she took my hand.

"Well, then what are you worried about? It sounds like you two are meant for each other. I can't say that for sure, because nothing is ever 100%. All I can say is love each other. Leah, just let go and be happy. You deserve it, and so does Embry." He reached out and took our hands in his. He said Quileute blessing over them and smiled at us.

Leah's eyes shown in the firelight with unshed tears. She looked so beautiful. I smiled at Billy and said, "Thanks." He let go of our hands and Leah bent down and gave Billy a hug. We walked back over to where we were sitting at the fire and sat down. I put my arm around her and pulled her to me. "Well, do you feel better about everything?" I asked her.

"Yea, I do. I want to be happy, Embry. I want _us_ to be happy." I leaned in and kissed her on the lips. She smiled.

"I will do everything I can to make that happen, baby. I promise." She put her head on my shoulder.

The parents all cleaned up and cleared out. Quil took Claire home and Paul and Rachel disappeared somewhere. I noticed Jake glaring at Paul earlier. Poor Jake! The few of us left sat around the fire and told stories. It was a great night.

I finally got up and announced that I needed to head home. Jared and Kim and Jake and Bella were the only ones left. My mom had taken all my gifts home for me, so I wouldn't have anything to worry about. Leah picked up the blanket we had been sitting on and folded it. We said goodbye and I took Leah's hand and we walked back to the trail that would lead to her house.

She walked right by the entrance to the trail and led me over to a place at the edge of the woods and beach. I looked around and noticed it was kind of secluded and there was a nice little patch of sand in the middle. _What was she thinking? _She flung the blanket out onto the sand and bent to straighten it. Then she crawled onto the middle of it and said quietly, "As you can probably guess, I brought you here to make out. So, what are you waiting for?"

I laughed and plopped down beside her. I took her into my arms and she whispered, "It's after midnight, Embry. Happy Birthday." Then she put her lips on mine and wound her arms around my neck. As always, we started out slowly kissing each other then it intensified quickly to the point where we were both having a hard time catching our breath. I kissed her throat and whispered in her ear, "Leah, you're making me crazy. I love you so much."

I wasn't wearing a shirt, as mine was wet. Leah had her hands on me was running them over my back. She smiled then leaned forward to kiss my chest and shoulders. She even nipped at me with her teeth like I did on her sometimes. "Oh wow, Leah! I really like that!" I whispered. She kissed her way back to my lips and teased me with her tongue. She wound her fingers into my hair and pulled at it. I wanted to feel more of her. I let go of her and pulled up on her shirt. She smiled and helped me pull it off over her head. Then she put her lips back to mine.

I let my hands roam her body. She pressed herself closer to me and my hands crept back toward the hooks of her bra. She was so lost in kissing me that I don't think she realized that I had it unhooked and that my hand had crept back toward the front and was under her bra until my thumb brush against her . . ." Embry?" she said against my lips.

"Mmmm, hmmm?" I kept kissing her. And I didn't move my hand.

"Are you sure?" she whispered. "I want to so much."

"Yes, baby, yes," I whispered into her ear as I kissed her neck. I nipped her on the shoulder and she jumped and sighed. I pushed her back until she was lying on her back on the blanket. I let my hand roam and feel her and she put her head back and whispered, "Embry, I like that." _Oh I wanted this girl so bad it hurt! _I moved against her and I knew she could feel how badly I wanted her.

She arched her back a little and whispered, "Embry, it feels so good." It did feel good. And so right. Being with Leah always felt right. Like I was home. I kissed and touched and she kissed and touched. We took our time to learn each other's bodies. Not like last time when we were so out of control. The rest of our clothes had disappeared and we were laying there together, under the stars, and I moved over her and looked down. Her eyes were pure black and filled with desire. She smiled at me and I leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. I kissed her again and again and again . . . it was like I could never get enough. I whispered, "Leah, I love you. I want you, baby . . ." I entered her slowly this time and she sighed and grabbed my shoulders. Her legs came around me and we began moving together in a rhythm, perfectly in unison. I felt the heat build between us and we both cried out as we reached the peak. "I love you, Embry," I heard her whisper.

I cut her off with a kiss. A rather long, slow kiss. I propped myself up so I could see her face. "Baby, that is the best birthday present I could have asked for. Thank you so much for saying it. I really needed to hear it."

She smiled at me and said, "How did I get so lucky to have you fall in love with me?"

"Oh baby, you don't know how many girls have wished they could say that. But you are the lucky one!" I teased with a grin. She rolled her eyes and laughed.

Then I said seriously, "No, Leah. I am the lucky one. I don't deserve you, baby."

"What?" Her eye grew wide and she smacked me on the shoulder. "That's the dumbest thing I have ever heard you say, Embry Call-Uley! Don't even go there! After everything you have done for me? You brought me back from hell, Embry. I was letting all of that anger and rage just rot my insides. I couldn't pull myself out of it. You saved me from that. You! Don't you get that?" She looked me in the eye and said, "I know that I love you, Embry."

I smiled and said, "It's about fucking time!"

She laughed and said, "I'm sorry it took me so long to say it."

I kissed her slowing then pulled her to me. Suddenly, I felt like we were one person instead of two. It's like we melted together. It was so amazing. I knew then, at that moment, there was no way I would ever live without this girl. EVER.


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

Leah POV:

I was sitting on the deck. I was trying to do some homework for my math class, but I kept thinking about the party and how much fun everyone had, especially Embry. When Jake and I first came up with the idea of a surprise party, I was a little afraid he would be mad at us. But he had a great time! It was awesome having his mom there, too. And after the party, well . . . I wanted him to make love to me last night. That was my intention when I put the blanket on the sand. And it was magical! Beautiful. What it should have been the first time. I have never been so happy in my life! I looked at my watch and saw it was almost five! Embry was coming to pick me up in a half hour. I picked up my stuff and headed upstairs to get ready. I had a new sundress that I wanted to wear. I got it when I went shopping with Emily and we bought our dresses for her wedding.

Today was Embry's _real_ birthday. Since we went on our date last night and had the big party, I was afraid today would be a big letdown for him. I asked him what he usually did for his birthday, and he told me that his mom usually made him his favorite dinner and a cherry pie. He invited me over to join them.

I was ready and waiting when he pulled up at five. I opened the door and walked out to the truck and got in. He smiled and said, "Wow, you look great! Is that new?"

I smiled and said, "Yes, it is. Thanks." Then I l slid over and kissed him. I stayed right there and he put the truck in gear and took off. "I like when you wear dresses," he said with a smile.

"Really? I'll have to remember that." We drove to his house and he parked. We got out and he said, "Mom has been cooking all day! She's really happy you're coming over."

"Good, I'm glad. I didn't want to feel like I was butting in on something just between you and her."

"No, it's good," he said as we walked into the house. "Hey, Mom!"

Angie was in the kitchen and she turned and smiled when we walked in. "Hi, kids. Have a seat in the living room. Dinner will be ready soon!"

We walked in and sat down on the couch. I remembered what he said we were having for dinner and I asked, "A cherry pie? Why not a cake?"

He laughed and explained. "Well, everyone has cake for their birthday. When I was a kid, I told my mom I wanted to be different. I wanted cherry pie. So, she made it for me, and the tradition stuck!"

I smiled and said, "That's so cute! Speaking of cute . . . let's look at some old pictures! Come on, I'm dying to see more pictures of you when you were little!" I begged.

He rolled his eyes and got up and went to a cupboard and opened and rooted around. He came back with a small, black photo album. "We don't have a lot of pictures. Mom didn't take many because it was expensive to get them developed, and we didn't always have the money. But we have some," he said as he opened the book.

"Awwwwww, look at you!" The first page had pictures of Embry right after he was born. There was one that someone had taken of his mom holding him. _Wow! She was young. Younger than I am now! _Embry's mom was still young, only 36, and she really didn't look much different. She was tall and slender, and pretty with long black hair that she usually wore in single braid. In this picture, her hair was a little shorter, and it was down around her shoulders. She was looking at Embry with such love.

We turned the pages and I saw Embry as a baby on a blanket, with a big toothless smile, then sitting in a high chair with chocolate all over his face! Taking his first steps, riding a tricycle. Then there were school pictures of each grade. "Yea, that's the year I decided to cut my own bangs, right before picture day. My personal favorite!" he said as he pointed to one that was labeled 2nd Grade. I laughed. They were horribly crooked!

There were some of Embry and Jake as little boys, with their bikes, and one with their arms around each other shoulders holding fishing poles. I smiled and thought, _Bella would like this one, too. _"Do you think I could make a copy of this one? I think Bella would like it, too."

Embry looked at me and laughed. "Yea, I guess." He took it out of the album and handed it to me.

There wasn't much after that. Just a couple of Jake and Embry and their dates for the 8th grade dance and one of Embry and his dirt bike and his truck. I closed the book and said, "Thank you for showing me that. When you come over next, I promise you can see mine. Then we're even, OK?"

"Yea, sure, that's fair," he said. I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. He got up and put the book back into the cupboard.

"OK, you two. Dinner is ready!" Angie said.

We got up and went to the table. "Wow, it looks great! I'm starving," Embry said. I looked at Angie and saw her smile at him. She really loves him so much.

She made meat loaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, biscuits and of course, the cherry pie. And everything was delicious! I told her that and she smiled and said, "Thank you. Your mom sure is a good cook! Embry told me he loved her potato salad, and it is good. I should have her give me her recipe."

"I think it was my grandma's recipe. She was a good cook, too. I'm trying to learn from my mom, but she works a lot, so we cook on her days off sometimes," I said.

"Yes, it's hard to be a mom and have to work all the time. But you do what you gotta do, you know?" Angie said.

I nodded and kept eating. I looked at Embry as he heaped more potatoes on his plate. I smiled at him and he said, "What? I'm a growing boy!"

His mom laughed. "God, I hope not! You can't grow anymore or you won't fit through the door!" We all laughed at that one. It was very comfortable all of us sharing a meal together. She brought out the cherry pie with a lit candle sticking out of it and of course, we had to sing _Happy Birthday_ for him. He closed his eyes to make his wish then blew out the candle and we clapped.

I took one bite of her cherry pie and exclaimed, "Oh wow. I hope I can have another piece, because this is truly the best cherry pie I have ever had!"

She laughed. "Of course you can, if you can wrangle it way from Embry. My goodness girl, how do you stay so skinny?"

"It's a wolf thing. We eat like pigs, but we keep it off by running so much, I guess. Great metabolism. Works for me!" I said.

"Oh yea, the wolf thing. I keep forgetting that you are a . . . wolf too. This is all so strange," she said.

Embry laughed. "YOU think it's strange! Man, the first time I phased it scared the shit out of me! I don't know what I would have done without Sam. I can't imagine going through that alone like he did."

I nodded and added, "Yea. The first time I phased it not only freaked me out, but everyone else too. At first, no one knew what to do with me. And I didn't want to be around Sam, so Jake kind of stepped in. He was really good to me. And to Seth. I guess that's why Seth follows him around like a little puppy. He thinks of Jake as a big brother, I guess."

"You know, I'd like to know more about this. I mean, Sue and Billy told me what they know, but to hear it from you I think would help me understand better. Would you two mind?" Angie asked.

I looked at Embry, who looked at me, and I said, "No, I don't mind. What do you want to know?"

We moved to the living area and sat and talked for a good hour. She had all kinds of questions and we tried our best to answer them. Everything from what it feels like to phase, to what we do with our clothes. Embry showed her the cord on his ankle.

"I always wondered what that was there for! I just figured it was one of those fads, I guess. Huh."

Embry laughed at that. "Yea, cause I'm so fashionable. I follow all the fads, Mom." She smacked him and said, "Stop teasing me or I won't give you your present!"

"Mom, you didn't have to get me a present. You know that," Embry said.

"Well, this one is very special. I've been saving it for you for your 18th birthday. Wait here, I'll go get it," she said as she got up and went down the tiny hall to her room. She came right back with a small, wrapped box. "Here, honey. Happy 18th Birthday." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

He smiled and unwrapped the box and opened it. It was a really beautiful watch! "It belonged to my father, Embry. My mother gave it to him as a wedding gift. He only wore it on special occasions because he said it was special. I took it to a jeweler and had it cleaned and repaired. It meant a lot to him, and I hope it will mean a lot to you, too." She had tears in her eyes. I knew it meant a lot to her, too.

"Wow, Mom. I don't know what to say. Thanks." He looked at her. "Thank you very much." He reached over and hugged her. I felt tears sting my eyes.

He let her go and turned to me and held it out for me to look at. "It's really beautiful, Angie," I told her.

"My parents died when I was 10. They were killed in a car accident. Hit by a drunk driver." She stopped and blew her nose. "I was an only child. I was staying with my aunt while they went to dinner that night. They never got out much and they hardly ever left me with anyone. I usually went with them everywhere. But on that night . . . I didn't." Embry put his arm around her. "I miss them very much. I had to move in with my aunt, and when I was leaving my house, I took my mom's jewelry box to keep, and Daddy's watch was in there. When I was pregnant and packed everything to move here, I found it. I decided then that if my baby was a boy, I would give him that watch when he turned 18. I find it hard to believe that day is here already! You're all grown up, Embry. You're a man now." She wiped the tears from her eyes with the Kleenex she was holding. Embry hugged her to him.

He let her go and said quietly, "If I'm a man now, why do I still have to go back to high school? It just feels wrong, Mom."

I rolled my eyes. _He had to do this now? Talk about ruining a moment! _

"I know, Embry, but I want you to graduate! It's important!" Angie said.

"Yea, but I can get a GED like Jake is going to do. We can start our shop! I'm ready to live my life, Mom. I don't want to be a high school kid anymore!" he argued.

He did have a point, but so did his Mom.

"Do we have to do this right now, son?" Angie pleaded.

He hung his head. "No, I'm sorry. You gave me this great present and you made my favorite dinner. And here I am acting like a whiny-ass baby. I'm sorry, Mom." She smiled at him. "Hey, is this a special occasion? Can I wear the watch today?"

"Of course! Put it on," she answered.

I pulled my camera out of my bag. "Can I take a picture of the two of you?"

"Yes, please!" Angie said. She helped Embry put the watch on and I snapped a picture. Then they posed and I took another one. I turned the camera and showed her the pictures. "I love these digital cameras! It's so neat to be able to see the picture right away!"

"I'll make sure I get you copies, OK?" I told her.

She smiled and said, "Thank you, Leah. I better get this kitchen cleaned up!"

"Let me help, please?" I asked.

"If you really want to! Come on," she said. She wouldn't let Embry help because it was his birthday. So he sat down in the living area and I noticed he got out the book Emily had made for him and he flipped through it. Angie and I cleared the table and did the dishes and talked. I was really happy to get to know her a little better. We finished and she hugged me and said, "Thank you, honey, for helping. You're a sweet girl."

I smiled and said, "Thanks for dinner! Everything was delicious!"

I walked in and sat down beside Embry. He looked up and said, "This book is amazing, Leah. The Uleys go back to the beginning of the tribe! There are so many awesome stories in here! Here, listen to this one," he said. He read me one about his great-grandfather, Levi Uley. His mom sat in the chair and listened. I couldn't tell if it upset her or not. She was very quiet.

Embry turned the page and was showing me a picture of Levi when suddenly his mom asked softly, "Is there anything in there about Josh?"

Embry's head came up and he looked over at her. "Um, there's a picture of him on the family tree, and his birthdate, but here isn't anything written about him."

She put her head down and got very quiet again.

"Are you OK, Mom. I can put this away. I'm sorry, I didn't think . . ."

"Josh told me a little about his grandfather, Levi. Said he was a tough man. But he also said he was special. He didn't go into details, but now I know what he meant. He was a wolf, like you." She looked at Embry. "He also talked about his grandmother and said that she made the best cornbread he ever had!" She smiled. "He told me about staying with them when he was a young boy, and the stories his grandfather would tell him about the ancestors of your tribe. I'm glad they are written down there. Your father would want you to know them. You should be proud of your ancestors. I wish so badly there was some way you could be proud of your father, too. I know that's not possible. Things don't always work out the way we want them to." She looked out the window and wiped the tears from her eyes.

Embry nodded and closed the book and put it on the table. He looked at his watch and said, "Anyone want to know what time it is?" We laughed. Leave it to Embry to break the tension!

"Hey, I have a gift for you, too, you know!" I said.

"What? You took me out last night and the party and everything," he said.

I reached into my bag and pulled out his gift. "Well, it's not much. But I wanted to give you something." I handed it to him. He smiled at me and leaned over and kissed me. "Well, open it!"

He tore the paper off and said, "Wow, I love it. Thanks!" It was a framed picture of the two of us, sitting close together at the bonfire where we had our marathon make out session! I was excited that we had a picture of that momentous night! We were both smiling in the picture and we looked so happy to be together. I hoped we were always that happy.

"I had no idea that Emily had taken it! She was snapping pictures at the bonfire that night, and she took this one. She gave it to me a couple of days ago, and I made a copy for you and framed it. I have one framed just like it."

He leaned over and kissed me again. "Man, this has been quite a birthday! I'm kind of bummed to see it end!"

His mom and I both laughed. "Yea, he's spoiled now," his mom said. "That's OK. He deserves it." She stood up and went to Embry and leaned down and kissed him on the head. "You're a good son, and I love you." He stood up and hugged her.

"Thanks, Mom. For everything." She smiled and walked into the kitchen. We heard her take a glass out of the cupboard and get a drink of water.

"I better get home. Emily has a full agenda for us tomorrow. Wedding plans!" I said. I stood up and walked over to Angie. "Thank you so much for dinner. I really enjoyed being here with you both tonight."

She smiled and said, "Anytime, honey. Don't you be a stranger, OK?"

"I promise," I said. I picked up my bag and Embry said, "I'll walk you out." I nodded and let him open the door for me. We walked hand in hand to the car.

He took me in his arms and kissed me like I knew he had wanted to do when I gave him the picture. I could see it in his eyes when he looked at it. I wrapped my arms around him and surrendered to that feeling of being held in his arms. That feeling of home. He pulled back and said, "That's my thank you for the picture. I really love it."

"Me, too. I hope we are always that happy, Embry." We kissed a little more and stopped before we got a little too graphic for the neighbors! "See you tomorrow?"

"Yea, for sure," I told her.


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

Leah POV:

Embry and I spent the next week helping Sam and Emily get ready for their wedding. The ceremony would take place in their back yard and there would be a small party after. Embry helped Sam hang hundreds of tiny white lights in the trees and bushes. It was going to be beautiful!

We made food for the party, and I helped her with the cake, the flowers, and her dress. Her morning sickness was subsiding and she was feeling pretty good. She had a little baby bump that was starting to show. But the dress we picked out had an empire waistline, so we didn't think it would show for the wedding. She didn't want to wear traditional white, because she said she wasn't a traditional girl. I mean, she was marrying a werewolf! So her dress was a pale yellow, and it looked great against her dark skin tone and her black hair. She was going to be a beautiful bride. I was so glad that we were friends again and I could be here to share it with her.

I knew that Embry was very excited to be Sam's best man. He was taking his job very seriously. He was planning a bachelor party for Sam and the guys, which was just going to be a bonfire on the beach, but still, it was a party. They were going to do it tonight, the night before the wedding, as was customary.

We were at Emily's and Mom had taken a break from the kitchen to finish my dress. She had to take it in a little and I was trying it on to see how it fit. It was a light shade of green, kind of sage green. It was short, to the knee, and also had an empire waistline and spaghetti straps. It was a chiffon dress, like Emily's, so when I walked, the full skirt swayed. I really felt pretty in it! Claire had a pretty little pale pink dress to wear as the flower girl. She was so excited! Embry and Quil were outside with her now showing her how to gently toss the flower petals instead of throwing them. I could see them out the window and it was so funny! Embry was on his knees "walking" beside Claire and tossing leaves from a Cool Whip bowl. He would be a great daddy someday. _Whoa! Daddy? Yea, not for a few years at least._

"So, is it OK? Or are you too busy watching out the window to notice?" Mom asked.

I turned and laughed. "Claire has all of these guys just eating out of her hand, you know. They all spoil her terribly! And, yes, the dress is fine. It feels good."

"You look beautiful. You should wear green more often. It suits you," she said.

"Thanks. Maybe I will." I twirled and watched in the mirror as the skirt spread out around me. I looked in the mirror and gave my mom a big smile. She came up behind me and hugged me. "It is good to see you so happy, honey."

I looked at our reflection and smiled. "Thanks. I like being happy. "

"Well, break's over. We need to get back down to the kitchen so the bride doesn't wear herself out before her own wedding! Get out of this dress, hang it up and we'll get back to work." Mom said as she put her sewing things back in the box. She stood up and came over and unzipped me. "See you downstairs." She picked up her sewing box and left the room.

I walked back over to the window and looked out. Quil and Embry were chasing Claire around the yard and growling at her and she was giggling. I couldn't help but smile.

Embry POV:

"You wore me out, little girl!" I looked at Quil and asked, "How do you do this every day?" He just laughed and shook his head and said he needed to use the bathroom. I was carrying Claire and I put a big wet kiss on her cheek.

"Gwoss, Embwey!" she said as she wiped it off. I carried her into the house and stopped in the living area.

"Gwoss? Gwoss?" I held her up and put my face under her little shirt and blew on her belly. She giggled and cried, "Do it again!" So I did. I loved to hear her giggle.

"What is going on down here?" Leah asked as she came down the stairs. "Is he blowing on your belly, Claire?"

"YES!" Claire yelled.

"Well, I want a turn!" Leah said. She pulled up Claire's shirt and blew on her belly. Claire giggled again and Leah laughed. "That's fun!" Claire held out her arms to Leah and Leah took her.

"You're pwetty," Claire said as she wrapped her arms around Leah's neck.

"Thank you, sweetie. You're pretty too. I saw the pretty dress you get to wear tomorrow at the wedding. Are you excited to be the flower girl?" Leah asked her.

Claire nodded and said, "Quil and Embwey showed me how to TOSS the flowers not FROW them."

"They did. I saw them through the window. They did a good job. You must be hungry from all that hard work. You want a cookie and some juice?"

"YES! PWEASE!" Claire said clapping her hands.

"OK, let's go see Emily," Leah said as she took her over to the kitchen. Quil came back and Claire told him Leah was getting her a cookie.

"Well, I want one too!" he said as he followed them.

I watched her walk away carrying Claire and thought about how she would be a good mom someday. It made me feel really happy for some reason.

Leah came back to me with a couple of cookies in her hand. "Here you go Embwey, for all your hard work."

I laughed and said, "Thanks. She sure is cute, but she wears me out!" I shoved a cookie in my mouth and Leah kissed me on the cheek.

"I had fun watching you and Quil with her. You're really good with her. You'll be a good uncle to Sam and Emily's baby."

I looked at her and smiled. "I have to get back to the kitchen. See ya later." She kissed me and walked away.

I ate another cookie and thought about how much I loved that girl.

"Come on guys! Burgers are ready!" Jake called out. We were on the beach for Sam's bachelor party. Jake had brought a grill along and was cooking burgers for us. Everyone came running and filled up their plates with burgers and chips. We sat around the fire and ate and told stories.

I was telling stories about me and Jake when we were kids. I told them the "blood brothers" story about us cutting our thumbs and holding them together. "Then there was the time that we decided since we were Indians, we should put on some war paint and go out hunting in the woods. Dumb asses that we were, we went out into the garage and found some red paint that was left over from painting the house. We painted up our faces and thought we looked pretty scary! Until later that night when we tried to wash it off. Billy had to scrub us with turpentine to get it off, and Jake here broke out in a horrible rash all over his face from the turpentine! It stayed like that for days!"Everyone laughed and Jake rolled his eyes at me.

Then Jake said, "Our favorite pastime was picking on my sisters." He launched into the story about how when we were in junior high, we stole their all of their underwear one time and took it to school to sell. Yea, that was a good one! While Jake was telling the story, I noticed Sam sitting off to the side, kind of staring into space. I got up and went over and sat down. "You OK, bro? It's your party, you know?"

He smiled and said, "Yea, I know. It's just . . . hearing you guys tell those stories. Made me think . . . that should have been us, you know? Me and you, growing up as brothers."

I nodded. "Yea. That would have been pretty sweet."

"At least you had Jake, man. I had nobody. Just a mom with a broken heart who cried all the time. I had to grow up way too fast to take care of her. All because of _him_. Because he left us."

"I didn't know that, Sam. I'm sorry," I said quietly.

He looked at me and said, "It's not your fault, bro! He did the same to you and your mom. Except he didn't even stick around long enough to know anything about you. That really sucks. What an asshole."

"I used to lay awake at night and wonder who my dad was," I began. "I would talk to him, you know? Tell him about school, and what stupid thing Jake and I did that day. I would wish he was here to take me fishing, or to a ballgame. I guess maybe it was better for me never knowing. I could make him up in my mind and he could be whoever I wanted him to be. It had to harder for you because you knew him and had to watch him walk away."

Sam's eyes were sad as he said, "Yea, I blamed myself a lot. I used this think he left because I did something bad. Then when I was older, I thought maybe he didn't want to take care of me or whatever. I don't know. I guess when you're a kid you don't understand so you make shit up. I was pretty little when he left, but I have some memories, you know? I remember one Christmas, I got a train set from Santa Claus. He spent all afternoon setting that thing up for me and we played with it until really late that night. That's my favorite memory. " I smiled and he went on, "And one time, he gave me a baseball mitt and we played catch in the front yard. That was right before he left." He put his head down and was quiet for a moment. "I guess since I was little, I just didn't see it coming. I mean, it's not like him and my mom fought a lot or anything. They didn't scream at each other like the neighbors did. He was pretty quiet. He didn't really talk much. But I really thought he loved me. I guess he had some demons he was dealing with or something. I don't know."

"After he left, Mom would just lay in bed and cry, so my grandma would come and take care of us. After a while, she finally got out of bed and tried to live her life and she did for awhile. But then, she got sick and . . . she died with I was 16." He looked out at the water and was quiet. I didn't know what to say, so I just stood there. He looked back at me and said, "I used to think about going and finding him and bringing him home just so my mom wouldn't cry. When I hit 18, I really thought about it, you know. Finding him. Only I didn't want to bring him home. I basically wanted to beat the shit out of him. But, I decided that I was better off staying here. And then I phased into a wolf, which blew my fucking mind! Another great thing good ole Dad left me with!'

"I know what it was like for me," I said. "I can't imagine going through that without help. I'm really glad you were there for me, bro."

He smiled and said, "Yea. It was pretty bad. I was fucking terrified! I had no idea what was happening to me. I thought I was going crazy or something. It took me two weeks to calm down enough to phase back! Good thing I bumped into Old Quil and he shook my hand. He knew right away what was happening and he went to the elders and they helped me to understand what was happening."

I looked out at the water. It was a peaceful night. Wind was calm. I wondered yet again what happened to the bastard that was our father. "Do you think he knew about the wolf thing? Maybe that's why he left or something?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't know, Embry. Over the years, I've come up with hundreds of reasons why he left. After a while, you just don't give a damn."

I nodded. "Well, Sam. I know one thing: it's in the past. We have each other now and we can go on from here full of hate for the guy, or we can move on and be happy with the life we have. You are marrying a very beautiful woman tomorrow, bro, and someday soon, you will be a Dad! And I know that you will NOT be the kind of father that we had. I know that you'll stick around and love this kid and his mom no matter what."

Sam looked at me and smiled. A big smile! "Listen to you, little brother! How did you get so smart?"

"I have a smart girlfriend. Not to mention very hot! She's taught me a lot of things. Look how she's moved on, Sam. She was so full of hate and anger and pain. She could have stayed that way and lived a life alone. But she chose to dump it all and move on. And now she is happy! And so am I. I don't say this to make you feel bad, bro. It's just the facts. Leah is amazing."

"Yea, she is. I'm really proud of her. I guess I could learn a lesson from her, huh?" He stood up and faced me and said, "Let's dump all this shit right here and right now, Embry. Our father was who he was, but it will not make us angry and bitter, OK? If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have each other. I'm glad you're my brother, Embry. I'm really glad." Sam had tears in his eyes as he reached for me and pulled me into a big bear hug. I hung onto him trying to swallow my own tears.

"Thanks, Sam. I love you, man." I said, my voice shaking.

"I love you, too, little brother." He let me go and laughed. "God, look at us! Bawling like a couple of little girls! Come on. IS THIS A FUCKING PARTY OR WHAT?" he shouted. "I'M GETTING MARRIED TOMORROW!"

All of the guys came over and picked Sam up and ran toward the water. I watched as they threw him in. I smiled and thought, "_That's my big brother_!" I took off toward the water and jumped in with the rest of them.

Leah POV:

Emily made a beautiful bride, just like I knew she would. We were upstairs in Emily's room and Emily's sister, Anna, Claire's mom, was putting a few spiral curls in her long, dark hair. She had her dress on and I was holding the clip for her hair that had two white flowers wired onto it. "There. How's that?" Anna asked.

Emily looked in the mirror and said, "I love it! Thanks, Anna!" I handed her the clip and she pulled one side of her hair back and put the clip in place. "Perfect," she said. She stood up and twirled around. "I think I'm ready!"

My mom came in and said, "Emily! Look at you! You're all grown up and getting married! I remember when you and Leah were little and you used to play dress up with some of my grandma's old dresses and hats. You look so happy, honey." Mom hugged her and said, "I love you."

She pulled back and Emily said, "Thanks, Sue. I love you too. And thank you so much for all you've done for the party. I couldn't have done it without you!"

"You're welcome. Your mom's on her way up. She stopped to see Sam. Leah? Can you come downstairs and help me with something?" I nodded.

I gave Emily a quick hug and said, "See you downstairs!"

Mom and I went down the stairs. The ceremony was supposed to start soon. "What do you need, Mom?" I asked her when we got to the kitchen.

"OK, now don't get upset, but Embry can't find the ring. He's a wreck! It's the one thing Sam told him not to do! He knows it's here somewhere because he remembers pulling it out and showing Sam when he first got here. Will you please help him find it?"

I smiled and rolled my eyes. "Yes. I know exactly where it is." I held out my hand. It was on my finger! Mom put her hand over her mouth and laughed. "Embry didn't trust himself, so he put it on my finger and told me to keep it safe for him. Where is he now?"

"I'm not sure. He was on the front porch last time I saw him. He thinks he dropped it out there somewhere," she told me. "Oh that poor boy!" She laughed again.

I put my bouquet down on the kitchen table and walked out onto the front porch. He looked so handsome today. He and Sam had gone shopping and bought black dress pants, shoes, belts and shirts. Sam's was a pale yellow to match Emily's dress, and Embry's was green to match mine. "Hey baby, what cha doin?" I asked him.

He looked up at me frantically and said, "Oh my God, Leah! I can't find the ring! Sam will kick my ass! I promised him I wouldn't lose it. What am I going to do?"

"Well, you are going to calm down right now, OK?" I walked over and stood right in front of him. "Think, Embry. Think real hard. Where did you put the ring to keep it safe?" I looked him in the eye. _Come on, baby, think, think . . . oh! There it is - light bulb! _He smiled and took a hold of my right hand and held it up to see the ring there, on my finger where he put it.

He closed his eyes and said, "Oh my God. What a fucking idiot I am!" He pulled me to him and said, "Thank you, Leah! Thank you! I was so afraid of disappointing Sam."

I pulled back and smiled. "You dork. You're not going to disappoint him. You are the best, best man ever! Now, here," I took the ring off of my finger and held it out to him, "take this. Put it in your pocket and leave it there until they ask for it, OK?"

He smiled and did exactly as I told him. "Thanks, baby. I don't know why I'm so nervous. You'd think it was me getting married!"

I smiled. I liked that idea. I put my arms around his waist and snuggled up to him. "Come here, I'll make it better," I said softly.

He smiled and leaned down and kissed me. As soon as our lips touched, I felt like melting. We stood there kissing until we heard someone clear their throat. "Uh, excuse me, but I would like to get married today, and I can't do that until you get your asses in the backyard! Stop sucking face and let's go!" Sam yelled at us with a grin.

I ran into the house and grabbed my bouquet. Emily was at the top of the stairs waiting for Sam and Embry to go to the backyard. They walked through and went out the back, and I signaled to her that it was clear to come down. She walked downstairs and we walked down the hall to the back together.

We had borrowed chairs from the rec center and set them in the backyard. All of the little white lights that Sam and Embry had put in the trees and on the bushes were lit up and iIt was beautiful! There were white flowers at the makeshift altar, and candles. There was a white runner to make the aisle down through the rows of chairs. It was a small gathering. Only the closest family and friends.

Claire was itching to get going, so Seth pushed play on the stereo system that Sam had set up and the music started playing. Emily picked "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" to walk down the aisle to. I bent down and whispered to Claire, "OK, honey, it's time. Go!" I gave her just a gentle push.

She walked down the aisle, very carefully taking the petals out of the basket and dropping them. She was adorable! She was wearing her little pink fluffy dress and Anna had put curls in her hair, and a pink bow. Quil was sitting toward the front with Claire's mom, and I could see his face. He was captivated. I always thought him imprinting on her was kind of creepy and gross. But it wasn't. It was very sweet. He loved her so much. He had a camera and snapped some pictures of her. Of course, she had to stop and pose! Everyone laughed.

"Your turn!" Emily whispered. I kissed her cheek and said, "Love you!" She smiled and said, "Love you, too. I'm so glad you are here with me!"

I was too. I really was! I took a step down the aisle and looked up and saw Sam standing there. It was surreal somehow. I had imagined this moment a hundred times when I was in love with Sam. Seeing him standing there, looking so handsome with a big smile on his face. But now, I knew that smile was for Emily, who was standing behind me. But that didn't make me sad or angry. I was surprised at how happy I was for both of them!

I looked over and saw Embry staring at me. We locked eyes and a slow smile spread over his face. I walked slowly to the music and smiled. I secretly wished I was walking to him and to be married. I knew we were nowhere near ready for that. But I was starting to think maybe . . . in the future.

I reached the front and everyone stood up as Emily came down the aisle. She was radiant! She glowed as she smiled at Sam. I looked over at him and saw his reaction was the same. They really were perfect together.

She handed me her bouquet, and the tribal elder started the ceremony. He spoke of our tribal traditions and of the sacred bond of marriage. I was watching Embry. I knew he was waiting for his moment to hand the ring to Sam. When the elder asked, he confidently put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the ring and placed it onto the elder's palm. I smiled and winked at him. He smiled and winked back.

The elder pronounced them married, and gave Sam permission to kiss his bride. Sam took Emily's face into his hands and kissed her. Then he picked her up and twirled her around. Everyone clapped. I handed her her bouquet, and they walked back down the aisle, husband and wife. Embry stepped forward and held out his arm for me to take. I put mine through his and we walked down the aisle to join Sam and Emily on the back porch.

I hugged Emily and told her again how happy I was for her. Then I went to Sam and hugged him. I whispered into his ear, "I am happy for both of you. I really am."

He whispered back, "Thanks, baby. I want you to be happy too."

I pulled back and wiped the tears from my eyes and smiled at him. Embry put his arms around me from behind and leaned down and kissed my cheek. "You look so beautiful today, baby. I love you," he whispered.

I closed my eyes and soaked in this moment. I couldn't believe that I almost missed it. If I had stayed angry and bitter, I would never have felt this! I would have lost Sam and Emily forever, and never felt Embry's arms around me. I was very, very thankful for this moment.

Embry POV:

I made it through this thing without really losing the ring! _God I'm glad that's over! _We posed for some pictures, and then everyone moved inside for the party. Sue and Emily's mom had all of the food out and people were helping themselves and some went back outside and some stayed in. It was very informal, and comfortable.

Leah and I got a plate of food and went out onto the front porch. No one had snagged the porch swing yet, so we took it. I was starving, as usual, so I dug right in. "Oh man, your mom's potato salad is so good! I love this stuff!" I said with my mouth full.

Leah laughed. "She made it just for you, you know. I think she kind of likes you," she said with a smile.

"Oh yea, I'm in with the mom. I got it made," I said.

Leah elbowed me and took a bite of my potato salad. "Hey! Get your own!" I yelled at her and she laughed.

We finished our food and went back in for more. It was good to see everyone having such a good time. Jake and Sam were laughing about something, and Paul and Rachel were making out in the corner, behind Jake's back. That made me smile!

I walked over to Sue and kissed her on the cheek. She looked very surprised and said, "Well, what was that for?"

"That is for making the best potato salad in the world!" I told her with a grin.

She laughed and said, "Well aren't you sweet? You're welcome, Embry."

My mom was here today, getting to know more of our little tribe. I was glad. She looked really pretty today! She had her hair up and she was wearing a new dress that she bought just for today. It was kind of a peach color and it looked really nice on her! She was sitting with Billy and she laughed at something he said. She looked so relaxed! I don't know if I had ever seen her like this before. I walked over to her and put my hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me and said, "Hi, honey! Billy has been telling me some stories about you and Jake when you were little. I knew you two were pretty ornery, but I guess I didn't know how ornery!" She laughed again. _What a great sound!_

"Hey, Billy! Don't go getting me in trouble, now!" I said.

He laughed. "Naw. You and Jake were just being boys. It was actually kind of fun having you around."

"I had to work so much. I'm glad he had you keeping an eye on him," Mom told Billy.

Just then, Rachel came over and sat down by her dad. "Hey Dad." She turned to my mom and said, "Hi, Angie! You look great today, by the way! I love that dress!"

Mom beamed. "Thank you!" Then in typical chick fashion she went on to tell her where she got it and how it was on sale, and whatever. I looked over at Billy and he smiled at me.

I left Mom in good hands and went to find my own chick. She was in the kitchen getting plates and forks for the cake. I went up behind her and put my arms around her. She jumped and laughed. I whispered, "I missed you," then kissed her neck.

"Hey now! None of that in the kitchen!" her mom said with a smile as she swatted me on the shoulder. I smiled and let Leah go.

"You better watch it or no more potato salad!" Leah said to me.

I laughed and said, "OK! I'll be good, I promise!" She walked out to where the cake was set up and put the plates and forks there. Sam and Emily came over and cut the beautiful cake that she had made and posed for more pictures. Leah and her mom cut the rest for all of us to eat. It was delicious, just like my birthday cake was.

Jake hollered out that it was time to start the dancing. Jake and Jared had set up a small dance floor in the backyard. Seth and I had made some CD's with Sam and Emily's favorite songs, and some other fun dance stuff. Sam and Emily led the crowd outside and Jared started the sound system for their first dance. Sam took Emily in his arms and they danced around the floor. They looked right into each other's eyes, and it was like they were the only two people here. It was amazing. I had my arm around Leah and I pulled her close and kissed her on the head.

When the song was over, Emily called Leah and I out to join them on the dance floor. Another song came on, and I took Leah in my arms and we danced. I held her close and I could hear her humming along to the music. We moved like one person, and I could feel her heartbeat with mine. I loved this girl with everything I had. I felt like my heart would burst.

I looked down at her and she lifted her head and smiled at me. "I love you," she said. I smiled and said, "I love you." It was a perfect moment. The music ended and everyone was invited to dance. Jared put on "Let's Get This Party Started" and everyone came out and had fun.

I took Leah's hand and led her through the house to the front porch. I had unbuttoned my shirt and pulled it out of my pants. Man it was so hot! "What's up?" Leah asked.

"I just need some air. It's so hot wearing all these clothes!" I complained. I took off the green shirt and threw it on the porch swing and then pulled the white t-shirt I was wearing out of my pants to let it hang out.

She smiled a sexy smile and put her hand on my chest and said, "Yea, and you looked hot, too, baby."

"Really? You like me all dressed up, do you" I asked her.

"Mmm, hmm. You smell good, too," she said as she put her face to my chest and kissed me.

"Come here," I said as I and took her in my arms.

She laid her head on my chest. "I really liked dancing with you, Embry. Maybe we should do it more often, when we're alone."

"Mmmmm, I wouldn't mind." I started dancing us around in a circle on the porch, listening to the crickets and tree frogs as our music. "This is perfect. I wouldn't change a thing."

"Me either," she sighed.


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

Embry POV:

"Come on, Mom! Listen to me. I know you want me to graduate, and I want that too. But a GED is a diploma, too. Why are you making me go back to high school when you know it's not what I want to do?"

She looked at me with her hands on her hips and said, "Embry. It is important for you to finish high school. You need a good education. I don't know why you keep arguing with me!"

"Look, Mom, now that you know about the whole werewolf thing, you know I can't leave the rez to go to college or anything like that."

She looked over at me and said, "Look, Embry, you only need 5 more credits. You promised me you would finish high school and graduate! What changed your mind?"

_What changed my mind? _"Mom, so much has happened to me this summer. I found out who I am and who I come from and that I have a brother! I found the girl that I love and want to spend the rest of my life with! Mom, I realized how much I love working on cars with Jake, and we want to open our own shop someday. I think we could really make a good living doing that. And I turned 18 and feel like it's time to start my life now, and not waste another year being a high school kid. High school was fun, but I'm not that guy anymore."

She sat down at the kitchen table and put her head in her hands. I sat down beside her and said, "Mom, look. I don't want you to be disappointed in me, OK?"

She looked up at me and smiled and said softly, "Oh honey. I could never be disappointed in you. You're a good man, Embry. I know that. There has to be a compromise here." She took a drink of her coffee that she had sitting in front of her. "What if you went back just to get your 5 credits and you finish mid-term in January. Could you do that?"

I closed my eyes in frustration. _She just doesn't get it! I don't want to be a kid anymore! _I opened my eyes and looked at her. Then it hit me. I thought about all she has sacrificed for me in the last 18 years. She walked away from her home and came to live here all be herself, not knowing anyone. She had me and kept me when she didn't have to. Then she had to leave me with babysitters while she worked at a factory job that she never really liked to provide a place for me to live and food to eat. She has given up everything and all she is asking is that I graduate high school. _What an ass I am._

"OK, Mom. I will go and talk to the counselor today about what I have to take to graduate at mid-term. Will that make you happy?"

She gave me a big smile and said, "Yes, that will make me happy." She reached over and tousled my hair.

I rolled my eyes at her and smiled. I really did love my mom, and I wanted to see her happy. I guess it wasn't that big of a deal. I could stand 4 months of school. I hoped that Leah was up to helping me with homework. I was going to need help if I was going to get grades good enough to graduate!

Leah POV:

"So, you're going back to school, huh?" I said to Embry. We were sitting at my kitchen table eating lunch.

"Yea. What can I do, Leah? I mean, she has sacrificed everything for me! All she wants is for me to graduate high school. We finally compromised on me graduating at mid-term. So,I talked to the counselor and she set up my schedule. I have to get 5 fucking credits. I hope you're up to helping me with homework?"

I smiled and said, "I think I can handle that." I got up and went to the fridge to get the pitcher of iced tea. I came back to the table and poured us another glass. I set the pitcher down and Embry reached up and pulled me down into his lap. "Hey!" I squealed.

He laughed and kissed me. "I am so lucky to have such a hot tutor. Maybe this school thing won't be so bad!" He put his lips on my neck and started kissing and nipping with his teeth. It sent chills through my whole body.

"Geez, don't you two ever take a break?" Seth said as he walked into the kitchen. "I'm hungry. Is there anything left for me?"

I pulled myself away from Embry and stood up. "I made tacos for lunch. There is plenty left. Sit down and help yourself." I went to the cupboard and got Seth a plate and put it in front of him. Then I got him a glass with some ice for his tea. I sat back down at the table and watched Seth and Embry eat. Man, could they eat!

"So, little brother, are you ready to go back to school? Do we need to go into town and get school supplies?" I asked him.

"Yea, I need some stuff. I got a list somewhere. Mostly notebooks, folders and pencils, stuff like that," he said as he stuffed the rest of his taco into his mouth.

I looked over at Embry and said, "What about you?"

"Yea, the same," he said.

"OK, looks like we are going shopping today, boys!" I said as I stood up and put my plate and glass in the sink.

"Do we have to go? Can't you just get the stuff for us?" Seth whined.

"Yea. It's our last day of summer vacation. We don't want to go shopping," Embry joined in.

I turned around and looked at the two of them. Then I laughed. "You two are pathetic! You whiners! Fine, I'll go and get your school stuff. What are you going to do?"

Seth looked at Embry and asked, "Um, I want to go cliff diving one more time. From the high jump. Please?"

I looked at Embry with a worried look. He saw it, but said, "Sure. I think you're ready. Let's see if any of the other guys want to go, too." He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

"YES! Thanks, Embry! This is awesome." Seth shoved the rest of his food in his mouth then jumped up to go change into his board shorts.

I looked at Embry and before I could say anything, he said, "Look, baby. I'll take care of him. I love the little runt. I wouldn't let anything happen to him, OK?" He came over and put his arms around me. "You trust me, don't you?"

"Yes, I trust you. It's just . . . I only have one little brother, you know, and I worry about him. And I worry about you!"

"Well, you don't have to. We'll be fine. Come out and join us when you're finished, OK? I know you want to," he said with a big smile.

He was right. I did want to. I loved that feeling of flying through the air! "OK. I'll go get your school stuff then I'll come out to the cliff." I leaned in and kissed him. "Be careful, huh?"

"Always am!" He let me go and I started clearing the table. "I'm going to call some of the guys. Be right back." He walked out the back door onto the deck.

I cleared the table and was putting dishes into the dishwasher when Seth came running back into the kitchen. "Where's Embry?"

"Outside, calling the guys to see if anyone wants to go with you." I turned to look at him. "You will be careful, right?"

He rolled his eyes at me and said, "Yes, big sister, I will be careful." Then he kissed me on the cheek and went over to the back door. "Hey, come on! I'm ready to go!" he yelled to Embry.

They walked back into the kitchen and Embry handed me his truck keys. "Jake is coming to pick us up, so you can have my truck to go into town." Then he turned to Seth and said, "Jake and Jared are coming with us."

"Alright!" Seth said. He's so cute when he gets excited. Embry was picking up dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. We heard Jake pull up and honk the horn.

I looked at Embry and said, "Go ahead. It's OK. I'll finish up." He grinned and kissed me and they took off. I shook my head and went back to loading the dishwasher. _Boys._

I took Embry's truck into town and went to the store to buy school supplies. I actually needed some things, too. I was almost finished with my online courses, and I had signed up for three more. I really wished that I could go to school instead of taking classes online. There was a community college about 40 minutes away from LaPush, but I didn't have a car to get there. So, this was my only option right now.

I filled the cart with notebooks, folders, pencils and pens. I found Seth's list and saw that he also needed a compass and a protractor for math. I also bought a scientific calculator for Embry. I knew the trig class might be tough for him, but I would help him get through it.

Mom had told me to pick up a couple of pairs of jeans for Seth and some socks and underwear. I was used to that. I had bought Seth's clothes for him since he was a little kid. With Mom working so much, I just filled in and did the things she couldn't always do. She even gave me a debit card to do the shopping so she didn't always have to give me money. She really trusted me to help her, and I kind of liked that.

I loaded the bags into the truck then stopped by the house to drop things off and change into my bathing suit and board shorts. I opted for the black one piece today instead of the bikini! I didn't want to give Embry a heart attack in front of the rest of the guys!

I jumped into the truck and took off for the cliff. I wasn't exactly sure where to park because I had not been up to the higher cliff before. We only jumped from the "Baby Jump," which was fine with me. I wasn't sure I was ready to jump from up here. I could see the guys from where I was. I saw Jared do a perfect swan dive off of the cliff. I smiled. They all loved to show off.

I parked the truck, got out and ran down the path that should take me out to where they were. Just then, I heard everyone yelling. _What's going on?_ I took off running to get to them to see what was happening. I came out of the woods and saw Embry and Jake. "What's going on?" I asked.

Embry turned and looked at me. Jake yelled, "Jared! Anything? Do you see him?"

I walked over to Embry and grabbed his arm. I looked down and could see Jared in the water. I looked again. No Seth. "Embry? Where's Seth?" He didn't answer. I grabbed his arms and yelled, "Embry! Where's Seth?" He took a hold of me and said slowly, "He's in the water. Jared is looking for him." Just then Jake dove off the cliff. We watched him enter the water and come up.

"We don't know if he got caught in a tide or what. He dove in and didn't come up," Embry told me. "It hasn't been a minute yet, Leah. Don't worry."

"What? Don't worry! Are you fucking kidding me? We have to find him, Embry! We have to!" I screamed at him. I went to the cliff and without thinking, I jumped. I couldn't believe how long it took me to hit the water, and when I did, I hit it hard, and for a moment it took my breath away. I struggled to get to the surface and when I did, I saw Jake off to my left. "Jake!" I yelled.

"Still looking," he said then he dove under water. Just then Embry hit the water and I watched to make sure he came up. He did and he swam over to me.

"God, Leah, I am so sorry. We will find him, OK? He'll be alright." I just nodded. I wasn't sure what to do, so I turned to follow Jake and Jared and start looking. We all spread out and dove under water looking for my little brother. We searched for what seemed like hours, but was only a minute or two, and then l heard Jake yell, "I got him!"

Jake had Seth and was pulling for the shore. My adrenaline had kicked in and I swam hard right behind him. By the time I got there, Jake had Seth laying on the sand. I threw myself down on the sand beside him. He looked blue. _This is my baby brother! Oh God, he looks dead! _I was so scared. It took every ounce of strength I had to try to stay calm and not panic. Jared leaned down and said, "Is he breathing? Does anyone know how to do mouth-to-mouth?" he asked. I nodded. My mom had made me take a safe sitter class when she started leaving me and Seth home alone while she worked. _Come on, Leah. Seth needs you! _I plugged his nose, put my mouth over his and blew air into his mouth. I did it again then I pulled back. Nothing. I plugged his nose again and blew into his mouth. This time he moved and coughed a little. Jake turned him over and pushed on his back to get the water out of him. He started coughing and puking up water.

"Oh thank God, thank God," I muttered. He opened his eyes and looked at me. I rolled him back over and I saw he had a gash on his head in his hair that was bleeding. "Seth! You must have hit your head on something. You're bleeding."

He didn't say anything. He just nodded. Then he closed his eyes. "Seth, wake up. You can't sleep, baby. You have to wake up," I said to him. He wouldn't respond. "We need to get him to the hospital."

Jake looked at me and said, "Leah, we can't. They won't understand his temp of 108."

"My mom would. She's at the hospital working. Where are your phones?" Jake and Embry looked at each other. "In the truck. I kept it from Bella today to pick up some parts later. I parked here at the beach. I'll be back," he said as he took off running as fast as he could down the beach.

"Seth, look at me. Open your eyes," I said to him as I slapped lightly at his cheek. Nothing. I looked over at Embry. He was just sitting there, quietly watching me. "Why did you let this happen?" I said. I could feel tears running down my face.

He looked at me and said, "I'm so sorry, Leah." I couldn't look at him. I looked back to Seth.

Jared was on the other side of Seth. "Hey, buddy, come on. Wake up, man," he said to Seth as he shook him. Nothing.

We waited for what seemed like an eternity for Jake. He finally came running and handed me a phone. I dialed the hospital and asked to speak to Sue Clearwater. "This is her daughter, Leah. It's an emergency. I need to talk to her now!"

"Hello? Leah? What's wrong, honey?" she answered.

I was trying so hard to keep it together, but when I heard Mom's voice, I lost it. I started crying and couldn't talk. Jake grabbed the phone and said, "Sue, its Jake. Seth has had an accident and we want to bring him to the hospital, but we don't know if we should because of the wolf thing."

"Seth? What happened?"

"We went cliff diving and he must have hit his head on something when he was in the water. He was under for a long time. We found him and Leah gave him mouth-to-mouth. He's breathing and he puked up the water, but he has a really nasty gash on his head and he won't wake up."

"Oh my God. Um, OK. Look, Dr. Cullen is here today. Bring him here as fast as you can and we will meet you in the ER."

"OK." He hung up and looked at me. "Let's get him in the truck. Sue and Carlisle are going to meet us in the ER." He and Jared picked Seth up and moved toward the truck. I jumped into the back and said, "Lay him here with his head on my lap." They laid him down and Embry jumped in and sat down. Jared and Jake got in the front and we took off.

I held onto Seth's head to try and keep it still and Embry held his body. We looked at each other over my little brother and I could see the pain in his eyes. I felt bile crawl up my throat, and I just wanted to spew all of the anger I was feeling at Embry. I looked away and tried to calm down. I needed to concentrate on my brother. I looked down at his sweet face. _Please, please be OK, Seth!_

We finally pulled up to the ER and Mom was there waiting with a gurney. The guys helped get Seth on the gurney and Mom and Jake wheeled him into an exam room then Jake went back out with the other guys. Dr. Cullen came up right away and started asking questions. I answered them the best I could as he looked Seth over. He held his eyelid open and flashed a little light onto his eye. "Did you see any other injuries, Leah?"

"Um, I don't know. I didn't really notice anything else," I answered.

Mom took a quick look at his arms and legs. She felt along to see if anything was broken. "His ankle looks swollen," she said.

Dr. Cullen looked at it and said, "That might be broken. Right now, I'm more worried about the head injury. Let's get a CT Scan and see what we're looking at, OK?" he said to Mom. She nodded and picked up the phone. "This is Sue Clearwater calling for Dr. Cullen. He has an ER patient that needs a CT of the head STAT. Room 1? OK. On our way." She hung up and moved to the head of the gurney to remove the brake.

Dr. Cullen looked at her and said, "Sue, this is your son. Let me get another nurse to take him down."

"No, I'm ready. Let's go. Now." She started pushing the bed out the door. He nodded and got out of the way. I went with my mom. I ran ahead and pushed the elevator button. We got the gurney in and the door closed. I looked over at her. She was all professional, doing her job. But I could see as she looked down at Seth and touched his face, how scared and worried she really was. "Mom, I'm so sorry. I should have stopped him . . ." She cut me off with, "Not now, Leah."

The doors opened and we pushed him to radiology. They were ready for us and they took him inside. Mom looked at me and said, "Stay here." She went inside with them and closed the door. I sunk down onto a chair in the waiting area and gave way to the tears that were waiting to fall.


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

Embry POV:

Jake came over and plopped down beside me. We were in the waiting area at the Emergency Room waiting to hear about Seth. I leaned forward and put my head into my hands. _God, I feel horrible. I told her I'd take care of him. _With this wolf thing, we never think about the danger of anything. We felt strong, invincible, and we healed so fast that we never thought about injuries. But this was scary. He must have got caught in a wave that pushed him into something and he hit his head. _Please let him be OK!_

Finally, Leah came through the doors. We all stood up and went to her. "Hey, is he going to be OK?" I asked her. She looked awful. Her face was so red from crying.

She pushed her hair out of her face and said, "He just came back from CT. They put him in a room upstairs so Dr. Cullen and Mom would be the only ones to take care of him. Dr. Cullen is going to look at the CT and then we'll know something. He still hasn't opened his eyes." I went to put my arm around her and she moved away from me.

"Um, I just came down to get you guys. There is another waiting area upstairs if you want to come up." We all nodded and followed her. She took us to an elevator and we took it up to the 3rd floor, then got off and walked down the hall. "Here's the waiting area, and Seth is over there in room 312. I'll be in there with Mom, and I 'll let you know when you can come in, OK?" She turned and walked into Seth's room.

Jake looked at me. I could tell by his look that he noticed the brush off that Leah gave me. He put his hand on my shoulder and said, "I need to call Bella. I'll be back, OK?" I nodded and he took his phone out of his pocket and dialed as he walked to the end of the hall.

I looked over at Jared, who was looking at me. "You don't look so good, dude. It's not your fault. We all took him. We've never had anything like this ever happen before. Well, except when Bella jumped all alone, and didn't know what the hell she was doing."

"Yea, whatever. I told her I would take care of him. She _trusted_ me! That's a big deal with Leah," I said. I sat down in a chair and leaned my head back and closed my eyes. Jake came back and sat down beside me. "Can I borrow your phone Jake to call Kim?" I heard Jared ask Jake. I opened my eyes.

"Sure," Jake said as he handed the phone to Jared. He walked away to make his call. Jake looked over at me and said, "Hey, Em. Come on. He'll be OK. He's one of us. If he can rip apart a vampire, he can make it through this," he said with a smile.

"God, I hope so, Jake. I hope so," I said with a sigh. Jared came back, handed Jake his phone and sat down. We all sat there. And waited.

Leah POV:

I sat beside the bed holding Seth's hand. Mom and Dr. Cullen had cleaned the wound on his head and Mom said it was already healing. They had him hooked to a monitor that took his blood pressure automatically every 15 minutes and kept track of his heart rate. Mom kept watching his blood pressure as it was running very low. His breathing was good but his heart rate was a running high. Since we didn't know much about the werewolf connection, she thought that the high heart rate might be because of the high temp we all run.

Dr. Cullen walked in and looked at Sue. "I just saw the CT. He has some swelling on his brain from the head trauma. We know that he will heal quickly, so I want to wait a little before we do anything. This may heal on its own. Do you have anything to compare it to? Has anyone else in the pack had a head injury?"

"I have," I said. "Just a few weeks ago when we got into it with the three newborns that came through. One of them picked me up and threw me and I hit my head on a rock. Mom put in a couple of stitches and it healed by the next day."

"The cut wasn't as deep as this one," Mom added. "I added the stitches mainly to keep it closed while it healed because it was on her forehead, and I hoped it would keep it from scarring. Also, she woke up and talked a little then went to sleep, and she woke up at intervals during the night. She had a bad headache for a day, but the wound did heal inside of 24 hours. I'm just concerned because he hasn't opened his eyes."

"Yes, that is a concern." Dr. Cullen walked over and touched Seth's arm and said, "Seth? Can you hear me? It's Dr. Cullen. Can you open your eyes for us?" He didn't move. Dr. Cullen pulled out his little light and opened each of Seth's eyelids to take a look. "How long has it been since this happened?"

"Uh, well, I got there about, 2:00. So, I guess, maybe an hour and a half?"

He stood up and said to Mom, "Keep trying to wake him up. Let's wait 1 hour and do another CT. That should tell us something about his rate of healing."

Mom nodded. "Thanks, Carlisle." He touched Mom's shoulder and said, "Sure, Sue." He walked out of the room. She leaned down to Seth and said, "Seth, wake up. It's Mom. You open your eyes, mister." She touched his shoulder and shook him gently. "Seth. Wake up!" He just laid there. She took her hand and brushed his hair off of his forehead then she bent down and put a gentle kiss there. I could feel the tears run down my face again. _How could I have any left!_

Mom stood up and looked at me.

"I'm a mess, Mom," I said wiping the tears off of my face with my hand. "I am so sorry. I should have told him no. I should have made him go shopping with me for school supplies. He and Embry started whining about going shopping and Seth said he wanted to go cliff-diving." I looked at her and said quickly, "Mom we went before but I didn't tell you. Embry took us from the lower jump. They call it the Baby Jump and we just jumped feet first. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. I knew you would be upset. We should never have taken him. But he loved it, Mom! He just wants to be like the rest of them, even though they are all older than him. He hates being the baby."

Mom came over and took me in her arms. "Oh Leah. I know you love your brother, but he's not a baby anymore. He's 14 and he will do these stupid things from time to time. At least he wasn't there alone, and you knew what to do for him. You saved his life today, Leah." That did it! I started crying all over again. She held me for a moment then she set me away and pulled my chin up to look at her. "But Leah, I can't take this. You and your brother are going to have to think about what this does to me before you do stupid things like this. It's hard enough dealing with the two of you being werewolves and going after vampires. My God! That's more than a mother should have to bear! I already lost your father, and to lose either one of you . . . well, I couldn't do it, Leah." She finally let the tears that had been threatening fall. She gathered me to her and we both cried.

"Quit bawling will ya? You're giving me a headache."

Mom and I pulled part and she moved quickly to the bed and said, "Seth? Can you hear me?"

"Yes. My head hurts," he said quietly with his eyes closed.

I smiled and said, "I'm sorry. I'll cry softer." I picked up his hand.

Mom asked him to open his eyes. He opened them very slowly and looked at us. "The light is really bright and it hurts." He closed his eyes again. I let go of his hand and pulled the blinds down. Mom flipped the overhead lights off and left the one by the bed on. It wasn't as bright. "Better?" I asked.

"Mmmm, hmmm. What happened? Where am I?" he asked. "Hospital?"

Mom was taking his vitals, so I said, "Yes, Seth. You're in the hospital. Do you remember anything?"

"Um, Jake, and Embry and Jared and me went . . ." he stopped and looked at Mom.

She smiled and said, "Oh you're already busted, buddy. Go on."

He went on, talking slowly, "I remember watching Jared dive. It was so awesome, Leah. I wanted to try. Jake told me how and I stepped up to the edge and fell with my arms out. It was fucking awesome! Sorry Mom." She looked at him with raised eyebrows and smiled. "I did it Leah. I did a dive! I wanted to do it again, so we made our way back up the cliff. Jared dove first again then I went after him. But, I don't remember anything . . . "

"Leah? Stay here with him. I'm going to get Carlisle, OK?" Mom asked. I nodded and she walked out of the room.

"Leah, what happened to me?" Seth asked. "And why are you squeezing my hand so hard?"

I gave a little laugh and said, "Sorry, I didn't know I was." I let go of his hand. "Um, well, I don't know exactly what happened. When I got there, you had already jumped. Jared was in the water looking for you, and Jake dove in to help. Embry told me that you dove in and didn't come up out of the water, so I jumped then Embry did. We all swam and looked for you. Jake found you and pulled you to shore. When I got there, you weren't breathing." I had to stop. The tears were running again. "You were so blue, Seth. Jared said you weren't breathing, so I gave you mouth-to-mouth and you coughed and then Jake turned you over so you could puke up the water you swallowed." I wiped the tears with my hand.

"Was I . . . dead?" he asked.

"Well, you weren't breathing and you sure looked it. But then I found the gash on your head. It was really deep and you wouldn't wake up so we called Mom. She told us to bring you here right away. That's what we did."

"You saved me, Leah. Thank you." He smiled and squeezed my hand.

I smiled back and said, "You're welcome."

He closed his eyes and for a minute I thought he was out again. Then he opened his eyes and said, "Where are the guys?"

_I forgot about them! _"They're outside in the waiting room. When Mom gets back, I'll go and tell them that you woke up."

"Don't be mad at them, Leah. I'm the one that wanted to go. Me, OK? If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me," he said.

"Oh, I'm plenty mad at you, believe me. But I'm just so glad you're OK, that I will probably get over it," I said with a smile.

He smiled at me then closed his eyes again. "Man, my head really hurts."

"Yea, I remember that headache. Mom will give you something for the pain, I'm sure."

Just then Mom and Dr. Cullen came in. The doctor walked over to Seth and said, "Well, it's good to see you awake. How do you feel?"

"I have the worst headache ever!" he said.

"Yea, I can imagine. OK, let me take a look," Dr. Cullen said. I walked over to Mom and told her I was going to go out to tell the guys that Seth was awake. She nodded and I walked out of the room.

I found them in the waiting area. Jake and Embry were sitting side by side, both sitting forward with their heads in their hands. It was kind of funny really. Sometimes it was like they _were_ brothers, they were so close. Jared was sitting across from them and saw me first. He stood up and said, "Is he OK, Leah?" Jake and Embry jumped up as soon as they heard Jared ask.

I smiled and said, "He just woke up. Dr. Cullen is in there with him now taking a look. He had some swelling on his brain, but the doctor thinks it might go away on its own. He's waiting an hour then he'll do another CT to check. But he's awake and talking. That's good."

"Oh thank God!" Jake sighed. "I gotta tell you, Leah, he scared the shit out of me!"

I laughed and went to Jake and put my arms around him, "Me, too." He held me tight then let go. "When you laid him on the sand, and I saw how blue he was . . . " I closed my eyes. I couldn't believe I had any more tears, but there they were. Jake pulled me close again and I let him. I finally pulled away and Jared held out a box of Kleenex.

I pulled a couple out of the box and blew my nose. "I can't believe I have any tears left! Geez. I gotta stop." I threw the Kleenex away and said, "I need to see what the doctor said. I just wanted you guys to know that he was awake." They all nodded. I turned to walk away and Embry caught my arm. "Leah?" I shot him a look and pulled my arm away then turned and hurried back to Seth's room. I wasn't ready to talk to him yet.

I walked into the room and Dr. Cullen was gone. "What did he say, Mom?"

"Well, the gash looks a little better and he wants to go ahead with another CT around 4:30. He gave Seth something for the pain, but not enough to knock him out. We need to be able to wake him up and talk to him. I think he's going to be OK, honey." She put her arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze.

I sat down in the chair on the other side of the bed. Seth was sleeping and Mom left to get something she needed. I closed my eyes and put my head back. I couldn't believe I almost lost my brother today! That image of Seth, laying on the sand, came into my head. He looked . . . _don't go there, Leah. He'll be OK. _I took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

If only he and Embry hadn't whined like babies. If Embry hadn't encouraged Seth . . . why was I so pissed at Embry? It was Seth's idea to go. Seth was right. I should be mad at him, not anyone else. _But, damnit!_ Embry told me he would take care of him! I trusted him that nothing bad would happen. And here we are, sitting in the hospital! I sat up and looked at Seth. He looked more and more like Dad the older he got. I couldn't stand the thought of losing my little brother, too. I closed my eyes. _Maybe you were looking out for him today, huh Dad? I really miss you._

"Leah? Is it OK if I come in?" I looked up to see Embry standing at the door. "I won't stay long."

It was on the tip of my tongue to scream at him to get the hell out! I just sat there and glared at him and said nothing. I didn't trust myself to open my mouth. He walked in and looked at Seth. "Is he going to be OK, Leah? Just tell me."

I took a deep breath and said, "Mom thinks so. They are doing another CT at 4:30 to check the swelling. He had some pain meds, so he's just sleeping right now." I kept my voice even and curt.

He nodded. He walked toward me and I put out my hand and said, "Don't. I can't talk to you right now." He stopped where he was and nodded then said, "Leah, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have whined about shopping. We should have gone with you. But we didn't and this happened. God, Leah. What can I do? How can I fix this?"

"Embry?" Seth said softly.

"Go back to sleep, Seth. You need to rest." I told him. Embry walked up to the bed and said softly, "Hey, dude. You scared the shit out of us you know."

Seth opened his eyes and smiled. "Sorry, Embry. I don't know what happened." His eyes drifted shut.

"Hey, get some sleep, OK? We'll talk later," Embry told him.

"It was my fault, Leah. Don't be made at Embry." He closed his eyes again and went back to sleep.

Embry looked over at me and said, "I'll go back out with the guys. Talk to you later." And then he turned and walked out. _Way to go, Leah. _I was being stupid. I loved Embry and I should be leaning on him now instead of treating him like shit. I sat there and looked at Seth. _You're right, little brother. I guess I shouldn't be mad at him. But I can't help it. He shouldn't have encouraged you. He should have told you no. He promised he would take care of you._ The tears were rolling down my face, yet again. I wiped them away. I needed to stop this!

Mom walked back in and said, "I just talked to the boys. I told them I would let them see Seth after the CT." I just nodded. "Leah, you're avoiding Embry. That's not like you. You two are usually attached at the hip! Are you blaming him for this?" _Why does Mom always know what I'm thinking?_

"I don't know. I guess I am. He came in to see Seth. I could see the pain in his eyes, Mom. I know it's killing him. He loves Seth, too."

She was standing on the other side of Seth's bed. She gave me her "mom" look and commanded, "Get your butt out there right now, Leah, and talk to him. He's a wreck! This was Seth's decision, stupid as it was. Yes, you two could have tried to stop him, but he would have found one of the other guys to take him. Like I said, Seth isn't a baby anymore."

"No, I'm not. Quit being an ass, Leah. Go talk to him," Seth said softly . His eyes were still closed and Mom looked down at him and said, "Quit doing that! You know that we think you're sleeping." He smiled and said quietly, "Shhhh. I'm sleeping."

I laughed and said, "Fine! I'll go talk to him." I leaned down and kissed Seth on the forehead. "Stupid brother. I love you any way."

He smiled and whispered, "Me, too."

I walked out of the room to find Embry.

Embry POV:

Jake and Jared went to find a pop machine and some snacks. Bella had come a little while ago, and she was sitting in a chair idly flipping through a magazine. She loved Seth, too, like a little brother. I guess he was everyone's little brother. I stood in front of the window wondering if I should leave. Maybe I was making things worse by staying here. Sue had stopped by to talk to us and assured us that she didn't blame any of us. She knew it was Seth's decision to dive, and she was holding him responsible. Still didn't make me feel any better. _God, why didn't I stop the little runt! I'm such a fucking idiot! _Just then Sam and Emily walked down the hall, with Paul and Quil following them. _Great, that's just what I needed._

Sam came up to me and said, "Where is he?" I knew by the look in his eye he was pissed. At me.

"He's over there. Room 312. I just saw him. They gave him some pain medicine and he's sleeping," I answered him.

"What the hell, Embry? I told you he was too young for this shit! Why didn't you listen to me? What the hell were you thinking?" Sam was in my face, yelling at me. I just stood there and took it. He was right. I was wrong. Story of my life. Jake had come back and stepped up beside me.

"Sam, I could hear you all the way down the hall. Calm down, will ya?" Jake said.

"Sam, now is not the time," Emily said quietly.

Sam came back with, "When is the time, huh? I am responsible for this pack. When one of us gets hurt, I need to make sure they will be OK, and that whatever happened will NEVER happen again. You get that, Embry? Huh? This will NEVER happen again!"

"That's enough, Sam!" I turned to see Leah standing behind me. Her eyes were blazing. She walked up to stand beside me and said, "Knock off the Alpha shit, OK? We know it's your job, and you take it VERY seriously, but Emily was right. Now is NOT the time. My little brother was hurt. It's killing all of us. But it was an accident. A very stupid accident. Seth is the only important thing right now."

Sam hung his head and took a deep breath. He looked back up at Leah, and his Alpha mask was gone. "I'm sorry, Leah. You're right. How is he? Will he be OK?"

"They are getting him ready to go down for another CT Scan. His first one showed some swelling on his brain from the head injury. Dr. Cullen wants to take another CT to see the change. He knows we heal quickly, and he thinks this may go away on its own," Leah explained.

Sam looked up as Sue and another nurse wheeled Seth's bed out of his room into the hall. They stopped so we could see him. He had his eyes closed. Sam looked over to Sue, and she nodded to him. He leaned down to Seth and said, "Hey little dude."

Seth opened his eyes and looked at Sam. "I'm sorry. Don't be pissed at Embry, OK? It's my own stupid fault."

Sam smiled and replied, "It's OK. Don't sweat it. I'll find another reason to kick his ass, OK? Just get better."

Seth nodded slightly and closed his eyes again. Sue began pushing the bed toward the elevator. The other nurse ran ahead and pushed the button. They pushed Seth into the elevator and were gone.

Sam took Emily's hand and they went to sit down. Jake put his hand on my shoulder. "He'll calm down. Don't let him get to you." He squeezed my shoulder then went to sit with Bella and Jared. Quil had been standing with him and he said to me, "Yea, dude. You know Sam. He has to yell at us. It's his job." I nodded and he walked over to try and get Paul to quit pacing around like a caged animal.

"Embry?"

I turned to look at Leah. The anger was gone from her. "Mom told me to get my butt out here and talk to you and Seth told me to quit being an ass." She gave me a small smile. "I'm sorry I was such a bitch to you in there. I guess I felt like I had to be angry at someone, and I'm sorry it was you."

I just wanted to reach out and pull her into my arms. Instead, I said, "You weren't being a bitch. I'm so sorry, Leah. I should have stopped him. We should have gone shopping with you. This is all my . . ."

She stepped closer and put her hand on my arm. "No, it's not your fault. Has anything like this happened before? You guys dive all the time. You thought he would be OK. So did I. Mom's right. It was Seth's decision. It was just a stupid accident. Let's stop trying to lay blame and just concentrate on Seth, OK?"

I closed my eyes and put my head down. I felt her put her arms around my waist and she whispered, "Hold me, Embry."

I wrapped my arms around her and held her as tightly as I could. This is what I needed. I needed Leah. We stood there for awhile, not moving, not talking. Just feeling. I breathed deep to inhale her scent. I felt it run through me and work its magic. I finally loosened my hold on her and she lifted her head to look into my eyes. She smiled and I felt like everything would be right again.

Leah POV:

I was sitting with Seth when Dr. Cullen came in. Mom stood up as soon as he entered the room. "Well, the second CT shows a huge reduction in the swelling. I want to keep him here over night so we can watch him, but I think by tomorrow he'll be fine."

I smiled at the obvious relief on my mom's face. "Thank you, Carlisle. That's good news."

He smiled and said, "Yes it is. These werewolves are amazing, aren't they?" He looked at me and winked. "I'll write an order for pain meds for him because I'm sure that headache will hang on for awhile. You have my number, Sue. Please call me if anything changes, alright?" She nodded and he said, "I'll be by in the morning to check on him again. Try to get some rest, both of you." He smiled at us then he left the room.

I looked at Mom and smiled. She gave me a small smile then sunk down onto the little stool by the bed and put her head in her hands. I could hear her crying. It was finally too much. I walked over and held her shoulders while she cried. I handed her the box of Kleenex and she wiped her eyes and blew her nose. "I'm sorry, honey. I just was trying to hold it in so I could do my job and take care of him. I am just so relieved he will be alright." I hugged her and said, "Yea, I totally get that."

I looked down at Seth sleeping so peacefully. The pain meds had finally kicked in. I, too, was very thankful he would be alright.


	24. Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

Embry POV:

First day of my last year of high school. I sat there on the edge of my bed, still wishing I could take the GED classes with Jake and be done with this shit. I wasn't a kid anymore. I was ready to be an adult and move on with my life. But, I made a deal with my mom, and I was going to honor it. I wiped my face with my hand. I didn't get much sleep last night. I stayed at the hospital with Leah until around midnight then she made me leave to get some sleep so I could get up for school today. It took me awhile to actually fall asleep. Scenes from yesterday kept swimming in my head. Seeing Seth laying on that beach, man, that was brutal. I shook my head and stood up and headed for the bathroom.

I took a shower and brushed my teeth. I shook out my hair and combed my swoop of bangs over to the side out of my eyes. I got dressed in my standard shorts and t-shirt and went to the kitchen for some breakfast. I glanced at the kitchen table and noticed a box of donuts. There was a note:

_Embry,_

_I'm proud of you. Kick ass at school today._

_Love, Mom_

I laughed. My mom just didn't normally say things like, "_kick ass_." I opened the box and took out a donut. I loved donuts! She even left coffee for me in the coffee pot. I poured a cup and sat down to enjoy my treat. I had some time before I had to pick up Quil. Just then, I heard a knock on the door. _Who would be here at this time of the day?_

I got up and answered the door. There with her beautiful smile, stood Leah. I felt my heart skip a beat! I noticed she was wearing a light blue t-shirt, shorts and flip flops now instead of her bathing suit and board shorts, so she must have gone home from the hospital for awhile. "Hey, baby, what are you doing here? I thought you were at the hospital with Seth." I moved back and she walked into the house.

"I was. But I wanted to come and wish you luck on your first day of your senior year." She stood in front of me and I smiled at her. "Plus, I wanted you to have the school stuff I bought for you." She held out a bag of school supplies.

"Thanks, but you didn't have to do that," I told her.

"Oh yea? Do you have any notebooks? Pencils? Do you have a scientific calculator for Trig?" she asked with a smile.

I rolled my eyes and said, "No." She laughed and said, "I didn't think so. Do you have a bookbag?"

"Yes, I do have that, Miss Smarty Pants. See? It's right here." I pointed to my bag hanging on the back of a kitchen chair. I sat back down at the table and picked up my donut and took a big bite. "How's Seth?"

"Ooo, donuts. Can I have one?" she asked excitedly. "Sure, babe, help yourself." I pushed the box toward her as she sat down at the table. "Want some coffee, too?" She nodded as she took a big bite of her donut. I got up and took a cup out of the cupboard and poured some coffee into it. "Do you do milk or sugar in your coffee? I can't remember." I looked at her sheepishly and added, "Sorry."

She smiled and said, "Just milk." I got the milk out of the fridge and put it in front of her. She picked it up and added some to her coffee. She took a sip and looked at me over her cup. "Seth had another CT this morning at six. Dr. Cullen said the swelling was gone! Isn't that amazing? He wants him to stay in the hospital until after lunch, and if there are no further problems then he will probably let him go home. Of course Seth thinks it's cool that he's missing school and you guys have to go."

I couldn't help it. I was staring at her. Leah was sitting here, at my kitchen table, eating breakfast with me. I was amazed by that!

She looked at me and said worriedly, "What? Do I have powdered sugar on my face or something?" She reached up and wiped her chin with her hand.

I laughed and said, "No, you look gorgeous as always. I just can't believe you're here, eating breakfast with me. This is pretty cool."

"Yea, it is," she said with a sly smile. She leaned toward me and I leaned in to meet her lips with mine. It was the first time we had kissed since everything happened with Seth. It was a soft, gentle kiss. Just enough to take my breath away. She pulled back and said simply, "I'm sorry, Embry. I love you."

I looked into her beautiful dark eyes and said, "I love you, Leah." This time, I stood up and pulled her up to me. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her with everything I was feeling: relief that Seth would be alright, and that Leah had forgiven me, and how grateful I was to have her in my life. I loved this girl, heart and soul. She hung on and kissed me back with just as much feeling. She finally pulled away and said, "You don't want to be late for your first day of senior year."

"Yes, I do," I said with a grin. I put my lips on hers again and she gently pushed me away. "Oh come on, baby. Work with me here!"

She laughed and said, "Don't 'baby' me! Look, you need to get to school. You promised your mom."

"Oh sure, pull the '_Mom guilt card_!' "

She pulled me close and said in her best sexy voice, "But, if you are a good boy and go to school, maybe you can continue this later with your hot tutor." She reached down and grabbed my ass!

"Oh yea, I'm going to like being tutored," I said as I bent down and put another kiss on her lips. She shoved at my chest and I broke away and said, "OK, OK, I'm going." I turned back to the table to pick up my cup and take a last gulp of coffee then I put the cup in the sink.

She put the school supplies in my bookbag and handed it to me. I picked up the box of donuts to take with me so Quil and I could eat more on the way to school. "I still feel stupid going back to high school," I told her as we made our way out of the house.

"Well, get over it! You'll have Quil, Jared and Kim there with you, so you can all whine together. Now go, and I will see you here after school. OK?" She stood beside her mom's car. I bent down and gave her one last kiss. "OK, you can count on it," I said with a smile. I opened the car door for her and she got in and I closed it.

I turned and got into the truck as she started the car and drove away. It was going to be a very long day at school.

I picked up Quil and we headed for the school. He was excited about the donuts and ate three of them on the way. I ate another three myself. He didn't mind going back. He didn't really have any future plans, other than waiting for Claire to grow up. Gave him something to do, I guess. I parked the truck and we walked into the building. I found my locker and took out a notebook and pencil out of my bookbag then threw it inside and shut the door. I smiled. _Forgot the calculator, dumb ass!_ Trig was my first class. I did the combination and opened my locker to find my calculator. As I was looking in my bookbag, I heard someone say, "Hey, Embry. Long summer, huh?"

I looked over my shoulder to see Mandy standing there. _Whoa. _She was wearing a short red sundress and her boobs had definitely grown over the summer. They were practically falling out of her dress! _Look up, man, look up. _"Hey, Mandy. What's up?"

"Not much. I've missed you, Embry," she said as she leaned closer to me. "You still hanging out with that other girl, Lulu, or whatever?" She moved in a little closer.

I tried to step back but she had me trapped between my locker and the wall at the end of the hallway. I had nowhere to go. "Uh, Leah, and yea, she's my girlfriend." She leaned forward just a little to give me a better view of her chest then she gave me a little pout and said, "Gee, that's too bad. I thought maybe we could get together later." _Look up, Embry! For God's sake, look up!_

"Sorry, I'm a one-woman guy now, baby. Leah's the one for me. I'm seeing _her_ after school. Um, I better get to class." I had the calculator in my hand and I slammed the locker door shut.

She smiled and said, "Whatever, Embry. It's your loss." She made sure that her boobs rubbed against my arm as she turned to go. I just shook my head. _Man, what did I used to see in her? Well, besides her boobs and ass? Not much._ I'm so glad I grew up and found Leah!

I had lunch with Quil, Jared and Kim. I smiled when I remembered how Leah said we could all whine together about being in school. Instead, I told them all about my encounter with Mandy and they cracked up. "Yea, where did she get those? You think those are real, dude?" Quil asked.

Kim smiled and said, "Oh Quil, you can do a lot with a push-up bra, you know. Apparently, she learned how." Then she looked over at Jared and said, "No. Don't even go there."

He grinned and said, "I wasn't going to say a thing! You are perfect just the way you are, baby." Then he leaned in and kissed her and she added, "Good answer."

Quil rolled his eyes at them then he looked at me. "I'm proud of you, bro. You weren't even tempted, just a little?"

"Nope. I only have eyes for Leah now. Guess I'm all grown up, huh?"

"Awwww, our little Embry is all grown up" he said. Then everyone else said, "Awwwwww."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Alright, knock it off." Everyone had a good laugh then went back to class.

School was out and I dropped Quil at his house then headed for home. I pulled up to my house to see Leah sitting on the front steps waiting for me with a big smile on her face. _I like that._ I got out of the truck and slammed the door then walked over to her. "Hey, baby!" I called to her. She stood up as I got to the steps and I wrapped my arms around her. "I missed you," I whispered.

"Me, too," she whispered back. She pulled back and gave me a quick kiss then asked, "How was school? Was it horrible?"

I laughed and took her hand and led her up the steps to the front door. "No, it wasn't horrible. I survived." I unlocked the door and opened it for her. She walked in and I followed, closing the door behind me. "I have some homework in Trig and Government," I said as I dropped my bookbag on the kitchen table and walked over to the fridge and took out a Mt. Dew. "Want one?" She nodded, so I took out another one and sat down at the table. Leah had already sat down and I set the can on the table in front of her.

She opened the bag and took out the books I brought home. I popped the top on the can and took a big swig. "Did Seth come home today?"

"Yes, we brought him home around two. Dr. Cullen said everything looks good. He put some stitches in the gash on his head last night, and it healed nicely. His ankle was only sprained, not broken and it's fine. He can go to school tomorrow. But, Mom says no more cliff diving for a long time. He wasn't happy with that one."

I nodded. "Well, I can see her point." Leah opened her can of pop and took a drink. She opened the math book and said, "OK, babe. What homework do you have in this class?" I told her the pages and which problems. "Did you bring home your calculator?"

"Yea, it's in there. Which reminds me, I have to tell you what happened this morning at my locker. I forgot my calculator, so I opened my locker again to dig it out of the bag. All of a sudden, there's Mandy, wearing this low-cut dress with these huge boobs falling out of it! I mean, she didn't have those when she was going out with me! Kim says she thinks it was a push-up bra or something."

"Really? She came over and hit on you?"

"Yea! She asked me if I wanted to hang out after school. I told her that I was still seeing you and I was a 'one-woman man.' Good one, huh?" Leah rolled her eyes at me and I went on, "She says, 'It's your loss,' and makes sure her boobs rub against me as she turns to go. Man, I can't believe I ever went out with her!"

Leah laughed and said, "I can! All your bimbo girlfriends were like that. Don't you remember?"

I thought about it and realized she was right. "I guess so. Man, what kind of an ass was I?"

"You weren't an ass. You were a normal hormonal teenage guy. Although, you seemed to be a little more hormonal than everyone else, but we won't go there. I can't believe she rubbed her boobs on you! Maybe I need to hunt her down and beat the crap out of her!"

"Can I watch? Or maybe you could wrestle in a pool of Jello? In bikinis?" I was laughing now. She rolled her eyes at me and smacked me on the arm. "Stop it!" she said with a smile.

"Alright, enough of that! Let's hit the books." She opened my notebook and put it in front of me with a pencil. "OK. You start on the first few problems and if you have a question, ask." She stood up and went to the fridge. She took out some turkey and cheese then hunted for the bread.

"What are you doing?" I asked her. "What does it look like? I'm making you and me sandwiches. I'm hungry."

"Awesome! Me, too." I finally started my homework while Leah made sandwiches. She sat one down in front of me and I ate while I did the first few problems. This math wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Maybe I was too busy trying to score chicks at school, that I didn't pay enough attention to the teachers. Whatever. I just wanted to get through the next four months and be done with it.

She wondered into the living room and saw the book that Emily gave me for my birthday. She picked it up and brought it to the table. "Do you mind if I look through this while you do your homework?"

"No. Go ahead," I said as I took a bite of sandwich. We sat there at the table, me working and she reading, for almost an hour. "There. Done," I said as I closed the Government book.

She looked up and said, "Oh. That didn't take long. And you didn't even ask me for help." She turned the page and went back to reading. I put my books back into my bookbag and thought how weird it would be to actually turn in homework. That would be a first! I looked at Leah and asked, "You about done?"

" Hmmm? Oh, yea. This book is awesome! Would it be OK if I borrow it and take it home to read?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Oh, that reminds me." She dug in her purse and handed me the picture of me and Jake when we were kids. "Here. I made copies for Bella and me. You can put this back into your album. I love this picture! You guys were so cute!" I took the picture from her and put it on the table. _We were pretty cute. Those were fun days for me and Jake._

"I need to call Jake. I told him I would keep working at the garage after school, so I need to get with him and work out some kind of schedule, I guess. I need to have time for homework, time to work, time to patrol, but most important, time with you. How am I going to do all of that?"

Leah smiled and said, "Well, you can work right after school then we can spend time together after supper. We can do homework together and maybe we can patrol together, too. It will work out, don't worry. And we will have weekends to spend together."

I stood up and pulled Leah up into my arms. "Yea, but what about time for this." I put my lips on hers and kissed her long and slow. "We need to find time for that, definitely," she said with a smile. Just as I leaned in for another kiss, I heard my mom pull up outside. I put a quick kiss on Leah's lips then said, "My mom's home." I let her go and she sat back down at the table.

The door opened and Mom walked in. "Hey! How was school?"

"Not as horrible as I thought it would be. And, get this: I already did my homework," I told her.

"What? My son did homework? I hope you don't give your teachers a heart attack!" she said with a smile. She came over and touched Leah on the shoulder and said, "Hi Leah. How's your brother?"

"Good. He's home resting and whining because he only missed one day of school! He gets to go tomorrow," she answered.

"Well, I'm glad he's OK. I know he gave everyone quite a scare. Especially this guy," she said as she put her arm around Embry. "If you will excuse me, I want to get a shower and get out of these work clothes." She walked back to the bathroom and closed the door.

"I better get going. We are all going to eat dinner together then I am running Seth's patrol tonight." She stood up and picked up her purse and slung it over her head and across her body.

"Wait. Do you want a ride home? Let me drive you. It will give us a little more time together." I hated letting her go. She smiled and said, "I would like that."

I grabbed a piece of paper out of my notebook and wrote Mom a note letting her know where I was. Leah picked up the book Emily made me and we walked out to the truck. We got in and I pulled out onto the road. "What time are you going out on patrol?" I asked her.

"Um, I think around eight. I don't know who else is out tonight," she answered. "I hope its not Paul. Man, he and Rachel are . . . well, I just hope Jake never sees that! And he flaunts it, he doesn't even try to hide it!"

I shook my head and said, "I know, right? That's not the Rach I remember! You know with all this hooking up, I can't believe there aren't more babies on the way besides Sam and Emily's. This pack will grow pretty big with all this going on!"

Leah laughed at that. "I know. " Then her eyes grew wide and she said, "Oh, man. I hope that just because I'm a werewolf doesn't mean I'll have a litter instead of just one at a time. Oh God, wouldn't that be awful?" We both cracked up at that one. "I'm so glad I'm on the pill!" she added.

I pulled into the driveway and put the truck in park. She looked over at me and smiled as she scooted closer. I put my arm out and drew her close to me and kissed her. She opened her mouth right away and teased me with her tongue. I let mine tease back. She scooted closer and put her arms around my neck. We sat there and made out for awhile. Finally she pulled back and said, "I better go." I nodded and said, "If you have to." She smiled and nodded. She scooted over and opened the truck door and got out. She closed the door and waved then walked up to the door and went inside. I just sat there and watched her go then realized how empty I felt when she was gone.


	25. Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

Leah POV:

Mom and I made spaghetti and meatballs, Seth's favorite, for dinner. The hospital gave her the next couple of days off so she could take care of Seth and catch up on her sleep. She had taken a nap when we got home, but she was up in time to fix dinner. We all sat down and ate together, Seth eating his usual three plates full, and I told her I would clean up the kitchen for her so she could rest.

"Thanks, honey. I would really appreciate that. I am tired," she said.

"Thanks for the spaghetti. I was starving! The food they gave me in the hospital was barely enough to keep me alive," Seth complained. Mom and I laughed. "Well they aren't used to feeding growing werewolves, you know," Mom replied. She reached over and tousled his hair. He got up from the table and put his plate in the sink.

"Want to watch some of the Mariner's game with me, Mom?" Seth asked. Mom smiled and said, "Sure. Let's go." They got up and left the kitchen and I got to work. I cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher. When I was finished, I walked into the living room to find Mom asleep on the couch and Seth dozing in the chair. I smiled at them. I looked at the clock. It was seven thirty, and I was taking Seth's patrol at eight. I decided to go ahead and leave. I would run over to Sam's and see who I was patrolling with and where.

I went to the kitchen and left quietly through the back door. I decided to walk to Sam's and I could phase over there when it was time to patrol. It was a nice evening. Now that it was September, we wouldn't have too many nice evenings left. I enjoyed having some time to myself and walking through the woods instead of running. I walked up to Sam and Emily's and knocked at the door. I heard Emily holler out, "Come on it!" so I did.

They were sitting in their living area off of the kitchen watching TV. Sam was on the couch, and Emily was reclining against him. "Hey Leah!" Emily called as I walked in. "How's Seth? I heard he came home today." I walked in and sat down on a chair by the couch they were lounging on and answered, "He's fine. He was dozing on the couch when I left. He's already whining about going to school tomorrow."

She smiled and Sam said, "Are you here to fill in for him tonight?" I nodded. "He didn't tell me where, so I came here to find out." He explained where I was to patrol and I would be with Paul. _Great._

"OK. I'll head out back so I can, uh, well phase in private," I said with a smile. "See you guys later!" I said as I stood up and walked toward the back. "Be careful!" Sam called. I smiled.

I went out the back door and walked toward the woods. When I knew I was going to patrol, I wore as little as possible. They guys had it so easy. They could wear a pair of basketball shorts and slip them off and tie them to their ankle with a cord. I finally found that wearing a sports bra or tank top and a pair of gym shorts was the easiest for me. I found a spot behind some bushes and slipped the shorts down then peeled off the sports bra. I rolled them together and tied them to my ankle. As I was finishing tying the cord, I heard a twig snap. I knew it was too big to be an animal, so I said, "OK, who's spying on me? Very funny." No answer. Now I was a little creeped out. I knew someone was here. There was no vampire stink, so it had to be one of us. Just then, I felt arms come around me from behind and before I could think, I reached back and grabbed one of those arms and flipped whoever it was over my head. I heard a "SHIT!" as they hit the ground.

"Leah! What the hell? It's me, Embry! Ow!" I covered my mouth and laughed. "Embry! I'm sorry." I reached down and gave him a hand to help him up. "What are you doing here? And, I'm naked by the way, in case you haven't noticed!"

"Oh, I noticed, baby, believe me. Why do you think I put my arms around you?" He pulled me to him and ran his hands down my body before he crushed his lips onto mine. I couldn't help but melt into him. I always felt that way when he kissed me like this. I wrapped myself around him and gave up any resolve I had. I completely forgot where I was. I ran my hands over his shoulders and back and ravished his mouth with mine. His hands were traveling my body and oh, it felt so good! My hands slid down his body and touched his shorts. They were basketball shorts, so I pulled on them and they fell to the ground. He pulled his lips away and smiled at me. We slid down to kneel on the ground, all the time kissing and touching. His lips left mine and he nipped at my shoulder and neck with his teeth, which always drove me crazy. I pushed him to lay back on the ground and I moved on top of him with a smile. I leaned down and kissed him and let my hair fall down as a curtain around us. As I was kissing him, I slid down so that he was inside me and it felt so empowering! I began moving up and down and found out how much I liked it and I kept moving until Embry groaned and rolled me over and we moved in a frantic pace until we both cried out in ecstasy. We lay there panting, trying to catch our breath. He whispered, "I'm sorry, baby, but you make me crazy. Watching you move like that . . . Leah, you are so hot!"

I smiled and said, "I can't believe how much I like this, Embry. It scares me a little sometimes."

He lifted his head to look at me and said, "Me, too." He put a kiss on my lips and rolled off of me to lay beside me.

"You know I'm supposed to meet Paul. He will wonder where I am," I said.

He looked over at me and said, "I'll go with you. If Paul wants to, he can go home, OK? I want to run patrol with you so we can spend more time together." I smiled and nodded. He sat up and reached for his shorts. He rolled them and tied them to his ankle. "Ready?" I was gathering up all of my hair and I wound it up into a messy bun and secured it with the hair tie I kept on my wrist.

"Let's go, babe!" I answered. We stood up and Embry pulled me to him for a quick kiss. Then we took off and phased on the run.

"_Where the hell have you been, Leah? I've been waiting forever," Paul wanted to know. Embry showed him flashes of what happened before we got here. _

"_Holy shit, you two! Man, and you complain about me when I think about Rachel. Knock it off, Embry! "_

"_Just a little payback, dude. You can go ahead and go. I'll patrol with Leah."_

"_You got it! I'm out of here." Paul turned and ran off. _

"_Man, that was fun!" _Embry was enjoying this a bit too much. I wasn't sure I liked what Paul saw of me_. "I'm sorry, Leah. I didn't think about that. Don't be embarrassed." _Too late for that!

"_Let's hit the patrol, OK?" _I took off at a run, and as usual, loved that feeling of pure freedom. Running through the woods at top speed, my fur flattened back. I remembered how I used to want to run and run and never come back. I didn't feel that way about it anymore. I slowed down so Embry could run beside me. We ran our patrol route and then I remembered: _"There's someplace I want to go. Come with me, Embry!"_

I had a place that I loved to go, especially at night. I heard that a full moon would be rising, and I wanted to see it. I ran to a spot that rose above the rocky coast. I slowed to a walk when I looked out over the edge and saw the big, yellow moon coming up over the water. I stopped to soak in the scene before me. It was so beautiful, it took my breath away. I sat down on my back haunches then stretched forward until I was laying on the grass with my head facing the ocean. Embry came up beside me and did the same. _"Wow, Leah. This is amazing."_

"_I know. It's almost . . . magical." _Embry nuzzled my neck with his nose. It was strange laying beside him in wolf form. I had never done that with anyone before.

"_Well, I hope not," _Embry commented on my thought._ "But, yea, it is strange, and yet it's not. You know?"_

I did know. No matter what form we took, human or wolf, I always felt comfortable with Embry. We laid there and looked at the moon and I knew, no matter where I was, or in what form, as long as I was with Embry, I was home.

The next day, after I had finished folding laundry, I noticed the book about the Uley family that I had borrowed from Embry sitting on the table. I picked it up and was looking through it when I came to the family tree that Emily had drawn. I studied the picture of Sam and Embry's dad, Joshua. I saw the resemblance that Emily talked about through the eyes. They were Embry's eyes. Joshua was quite handsome. I could see why Angie was instantly attracted to him. I noticed that Emily had written in a birth date, and the death date was blank. It made me wonder yet again if he was dead or alive. What had happened to him? Why did he leave in the first place? There were so many questions, and no answers.

I wondered if anyone had ever really tried to find him. No one ever talked about that. I always heard people say he left and never came back, but I never heard anyone say that they couldn't find him. My brain started working on a plan. I knew that Bella's dad was a sheriff. I wondered if he could do some digging for me and find out what happened to Joshua Uley. _Should I really do this? _I felt like Sam and Embry had a right to know what happened to their dad, but would they really want to know? And what about Angie? She has pined for this guy for 18 years. What if he was alive and just didn't care? I couldn't help it. Curiosity was killing me. I would dig first, and decided what to do with what I found later.

"Thanks, Charlie, for taking time to talk to me," I said to Charlie. Mom was home sleeping because she was working second shift this week, so I borrowed the car and drove to Forks.

"Sure, Leah. What's this about?" Charlie said as he leaned back in his big, padded chair behind his desk that was completely covered in papers and file folders.

"Um, well, I wondered if you could help me find out what happened to Joshua Uley," I said slowly.

He furrowed his brow and stared at me. "Are you sure you want to go there?" He leaned forward and said, "That's something that happened a long time ago. Bringing it up may upset a lot of people. Especially Sam and Embry."

"I know. That's why I didn't tell them. Only you know what I'm thinking. I don't want to upset them, Charlie. If I find out that he's dead, I think it would help them to know. Give them some closure, or whatever. But if we find him alive, well, I don't know. I know they both have a lot of questions that have gone unanswered, and they might want a chance to ask him. But if they don't, that's fine too. Same with Angie. Will you help me? I guess we can decide what to do with the information once we have some."

He was quiet for a moment, thinking about what I proposed. "OK, how about this? I will look a little and see if I can find anything on him. If I come across anything, you come here and we'll talk about it and then we'll make a decision."

"Yea, that sounds good," I answered. He nodded and said, "I'll take a look this afternoon and give you a call, OK?"

I nodded and said, "Yea, that's great. Thanks, Charlie." I got up to leave then remembered I had a copy of that picture of Embry and Jake for Bella. "Hey, can you give this to Bella? I made a copy for her. I thought she might like one." I handed the photo to Charlie.

A big smile spread across his face. "Look at those two. I remember the day this was taken. Billy and I had taken them fishing, and they didn't catch a thing, but they had a good time. Those two always found a way to have fun."

"They still do!" I told him. He laughed and nodded. "See ya later, Charlie."

"Yep. Tell your mom hi for me, OK?" he asked.

I smiled and nodded and left his office. I closed the door behind me walked out to the car. I got in and sat there for a second thinking about what I had just done. _I hope I'm not opening a can of worms here. I couldn't stand it if Embry and Sam hated me for doing this._ I took a deep breath and started the engine. I would just have to wait and see what Charlie came up with then decide.

Embry POV:

School, work, homework, Leah, patrol, bed. That was pretty much my life. I was in the truck heading to Leah's for supper. She called me at Jake's and told me that she was cooking hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, and that her mom had made potato salad before she left for work. That did it! I jumped in the truck and took off.

I walked around the back of the house and went up the steps of the deck. Leah was just closing the lid of the grill when I snuck up behind her and put my arms around her. She jumped and I laughed. "Hey baby, I missed you." I said into her ear. She leaned back against me as I kissed her neck. She turned in my arms and kissed me on the lips. "I missed you, too," she said with a smile. We kissed a little then we pulled back and Leah took my hand and led me inside. I closed the door behind me and said, "Man, I'm hungry! That school lunch doesn't go very far. I'm going to have to bring my lunch. Although, I don't really want to walk into the cafeteria with a full grocery bag as my lunch!"

She laughed. "Yea, I could just picture that. Seth has the same problem. He eats like a pig when he gets home from school!"

Just then, Seth walked into the kitchen. "You calling me a pig? You eat just as much as I do, you know!" She laughed again and, "Yea, I guess I do!" We all laughed at that. She asked us, "Do you guys want to eat in here or out on the deck?"

Seth said, "I'm eating in front of the TV. There aren't too many Mariners games left, and there is one on in 20 minutes."

"OK. I'll go get the burgers and hot dogs." She picked up a plate and I took it from her and said, "I'll get them." I opened the door and went outside. I piled all of the burgers and dogs onto the plate, shut off the grill and went back inside. I set them down on the table as Leah set down the ketchup and mustard. She smiled at me.

"OK, guys, dig in!" she said. Seth filled two plates and went back to the living room to watch the game. I filled one plate with potato salad and chips and the other plate with two burgers and two hot dogs. Leah looked at me and I said, "What? I'm a growing werewolf, remember?" She laughed and said, "Let's eat outside." I nodded and went out onto the deck.

We sat down at the table out there and I picked up my fork and started eating. "Oh, Leah. This is so good," I said with my mouth full. She laughed and said, "Mom took some to work with her tonight. She said she knew that would be the only way she would get some of it!" I smiled and shoveled in some more.

We ate our supper and talked about our day. "Oh my gosh! I forgot to tell you. My mom gave me a laptop computer! Can you believe that? One of the nurses at work had it, and wanted to sell it because she got a newer one. It still works great, it just needed more memory to run faster. Mom took it to some guy who looked it over and added the memory, and she just gave it to me today. This will really help me take these classes. I can do all of my homework on my own computer instead of having to do it on a library computer and keep it on a flash drive. She even said she would look into getting the internet hooked up here so I don't have to go to the library. That would be awesome!"

I smiled. I loved to see her get so excited! "That would be great, Leah. I wish you could actually go to school instead of taking classes online. You're so smart."

"Yea, me too. But, for now, this is OK." She took a bite of her burger. I wished there was a way I could help her. I knew she couldn't get to school because she didn't have a car. Maybe Jake and I could keep an eye out for one. I would have to talk to him about that.

We finished our supper and I helped her clean up. "Do you have any homework, Embry?" she asked as she wiped down the kitchen table.

"Nope. Not tonight," I answered.

She put the dishrag in the sink and washed her hands and dried them. "Good. Want to go for a walk?"

I smiled and said, "Sure." Neither one of us was on patrol tonight, so we actually had some time to spend together. She went into the living room to tell Seth we were leaving then she walked back into the kitchen. "Let's go," she said.

I opened the back door for her and followed her out. She took my hand and we walked toward the trail to the beach. We walked in silence just enjoying being together. The sun was going down by the time we got to the beach. "Let's sit over her and watch the sunset," she said as she led me to a old dead log that was sitting on the beach. We sat down on the sand, and leaned against the log. I put my arm around her and she laid her head onto my shoulder as we watched the sun sink down to touch the water.

As I sat there and soaked up the moment, I hoped that life would always be just like this.


	26. Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

Leah POV:

"Leah, it's Charlie. You won't believe this, but I found him. He's alive." Charlie had called me the next morning. I was on the phone with him, and I was in shock!

Finally I said, "What? You found him? Where is he?" I asked.

"Not far. Port Angeles," he replied. _Port Angeles! That's less than an hour away!_ "You're kidding me!"

"Nope. Can you come to the station? I'll tell you all about it," Charlie said. I quickly thought how I would get to Forks. "Um, yea. I can get there. I'll be there as soon as I can. Thanks, Charlie."

"Yep. See ya soon." He hung up. I stood there holding the phone for awhile until I heard it making that awful sound that reminds you to hang up. I pushed the button to hang it up and set it down. _He's still alive. And living less than an hour away! What an asshole! There has to be a _good_ reason for that._ I tried to think quickly how I could get to Forks. Mom was going in at 11:00 today instead of 2:00, so I couldn't take her car. I wished for the millionth time I had my own car. _Jake!_

I picked up my bag and slung it over my head and onto my shoulder. I ran out the door and made my way to Jake's. I reached the garage and was so glad to see his Rabbit parked there. I walked into the garage and yelled, "Jake! Are you here?"

He was under a car and said, "Yea, down here." He scooted out and said, "Leah. What's up? You OK?" He sat up and looked at me.

"Yea, I'm fine, but I need to get to Forks. It's really important. Can I borrow your car?"

"Sure, sure. Do you know how to drive a stick?" _Shit. Of course I didn't. _"No," I answered him. _Now what?_

"Look, I need to pick up an oil filter and some spark plugs for this bad boy." He stood up and went on, "Why don't I take you into town and I can get what I need while you're doing whatever it is you need to do."

I launched myself at him and hugged him. "Oh thanks, Jake! That would be great!" He hugged me back then I pulled away and he laughed. "Must be pretty important." I nodded and he said, "OK, let me wash up a little and get a shirt, OK?"

I waited impatiently for him to come back. I was even pacing! _Josh Uley was alive. What did I want to do about that? I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to talk to the guy. I needed to talk to him and find out why he did what he did._

Jake came back and said, "Ready to go?" I nodded and we walked out to his car. We got in and he took off toward Forks.

After awhile he glanced over at me and asked, "So, are you going to tell me what's going on? Why is it so important for you to get to Forks right now?"

"Um, I can't tell you," I replied.

He glanced at me again and said, "You know, I have all kinds of things going through my mind right now. You're not going to a doctor are you? Are you pregnant, Leah?"

I looked at him and laughed. "Are you serious? You think I would ask you to take me to the doctor because I think I'm pregnant!" I cracked up. "Oh, Jake. No, I'm not pregnant. I'm on the pill."

He laughed and said, "OK, so you're not pregnant. So, what is it?" I looked out the window. _Should I tell him? I really want to, but he's so close to Embry. I don't want him to say anything to him._ "Leah, come on. You can trust me, you know that, don't you?"

"Yea, I know that, Jake. I would trust you with my life."

He drove in silence for a little while then he glanced at me and said, "Are you in some kind of trouble? Come on, Leah! Give me a fucking clue or something!"

I looked over at him. He was such a great guy. I didn't want him worrying about me. "Alright, Jake. But don't freak out on me, OK?"

He glanced over at me. "Well, that sounds promising."

I smiled as I told him, "I asked Charlie to do some digging and see if he could find anything out about Joshua Uley, Embry and Sam's dad."

He looked at me and said, "Are you fucking kidding me?" I smiled. That was one of his and Embry's favorite sayings. "Do they know you did that?"

"No, and you can't tell them. I just asked Charlie yesterday, and we are going to decide today what to do with the information. Promise you won't say anything, Jake?" I gave him my most pathetic look.

He smiled and said, "No way I'm telling them. I don't want Sam AND Embry kicking my ass! So, I take it that I'm taking you to see Charlie at the station?"

I smiled and answered, "Yes, you are." We drove into Forks and he pulled into the station, parked the car and turned off the engine. I turned in the seat and gave him a look. "What? You think I'm not going in there with you? You got me curious now. I want to know what the hell he found out!" He grinned at me and got out of the car. _Me and my big mouth._ I opened the car door and got out and we walked inside.

I walked over to Charlie's office and knocked on the door. "Yea, come in," Charlie called out. I looked at Jake and opened the door. "Hey Leah, and Jake?"

"Yea, I had to find a ride to Forks. I went to borrow Jake's car, but didn't realize it was a stick. So, Jake offered to drive me. Um, he knows why I'm here," I added as I sat down in the chair across from Charlie's desk. He raised his eyebrows at me and looked at Jake. "I had to tell him. He was driving me crazy guessing all kinds of horrible reasons why I would want him to drive me to Forks!" Charlie laughed at that.

"I won't say anything, Charlie. I told Leah I don't want Sam and Embry kicking MY ass. "He plopped down in the chair next to me as Charlie smiled.

"Well, here's what I found," he started. He had a file folder in front of him and he opened and went on, "Joshua Uley is alive and living in Port Angeles." Jake looked at me with a shocked look on his face. I knew what was coming next. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Jake said with awe. "How did you find that out?"

"It was pretty easy, actually. I got on the computer and put his name into the data base to see if he had been arrested for anything lately. His name popped up. He got a DUI a few weeks ago. The report said the officer pulled him over for a broken tail light, and he smelled alcohol, so he made him blow into a breathalyzer. Legal limit is .08, and he blew a .09. Not a real big deal, but the officer cited him anyway. Report showed an address in Port Angeles."

I was stunned. I really didn't think it would be that easy! Charlie looked at the two of us and went on, "That was his only offence. He's clean otherwise. Ran a credit check and that didn't really show much. He must be renting, he doesn't have a mortgage or anything. No credit cards. I couldn't find anything else on him."

Jake looked at me and said, "So, now what, Leah? Do we tell Sam and Embry that their dad is alive and living less than an hour away from them? That he never had the decency to pick up a phone and call Sam or his mom to let him know he was alive? I don't know, man. I don't think they'll take it real well."

I just looked at him. I knew he was right. "I don't know, Jake. I don't know what to do, really."

Charlie reached out and put the folder with the information in front of me. "Look, Leah. You need to think about this. I agree with Jake. I don't think they'll take it well. Especially Sam. Look what his mom went through. She never got over his leaving. That's gonna take a lot to forgive."

I nodded and knew he was right. I picked up the folder and said, "Thanks, Charlie. I'll hold on to this and think about what to do with it." I stood up to go. Jake joined me. "Well, if you decide not to tell them, make sure you burn that," Charlie said. "And if you say you got it from me, I'll deny it." He winked at me.

I smiled at that. "Got it. See ya," I said as I turned to go. I heard Jake say, "See ya tonight, Charlie," as I walked out of the office. I kept walking out to the parking lot and over to Jake's car. I opened the door and got inside as Jake hopped in. I just sat there staring at that file folder. I felt like it was burning my hand. I set it on the floor with my bag and sat back to look at Jake. "What the hell are you going to do now?" he asked me.

I looked at him and said, "I want to talk to him. I have to."

"What? Are you crazy, Leah? You want to talk to this guy? What the fuck for? He lives that close and doesn't care that his wife is dead? Doesn't give a shit about his kid? What kind of an asshole does that?" he exploded.

I closed my eyes and said, "Yea, I know. But I just feel like I have to talk to him. For him to live that close . . . I just feel like he had a good reason." I turned to look at Jake and say, "I have to ask him, Jake. I have to know. Look, I didn't mean to drag you into this. I will find a car to borrow, and I will go and see him on my own."

He put his head back and closed his eyes. "Shit," he muttered. He opened his eyes and started the engine. "OK, let's go." He put it in gear and started backing out. "But you're paying for the gas."

"What? You mean, you'll take me?" I asked.

He pulled out onto the road and said, "I'm sure as hell not letting you go alone."

I smiled at him. "Thanks,Jake. I really didn't want to go alone."

He looked at me and rolled his eyes. "Yea, like I would let you go alone. Embry would kill me!" I smiled and shook my head. _Why did they always think I needed to be protected? _"OK, but I'm buying lunch, too," I said.

He looked at me and said, "Damn right! And I'm hungry!" Then he grinned. That was the Jake I knew and loved.

When we got to Port Angeles, we pulled into a McDonald's to get something to eat and to ask if they knew where Porter Street was. That was the address on the report. We ordered way too much food for two people then I asked the guy behind the counter about the address. He gave us some directions and we thanked him and sat down to eat.

"Sure you want to do this?" Jake said as he shoved some fries into his mouth. I nodded and took a drink of my Coke. "Yea, I do. I'm not sure he'll see us though."

Jake grinned and said, "Oh, he'll see us. I'll make sure of that." I shook my head and threw a fry at him. Of course he picked it up and ate it.

We finished our lunch and got back into the car and followed the directions the guy gave us. "Here it is, Porter Street. Turn here, Jake," I directed. It wasn't the greatest neighborhood. The houses were small and rundown, yards not kept up as nice as they could be. We drove slowly down the narrow street until I saw the house number 679. "Stop here. There it is." I looked at the house and saw it was very small, painted a light brown color, and it had a small porch. This house looked like someone was taking care of it, and the yard had been mowed recently. There was even a pot of flowers sitting on the porch. I wondered for a moment if he had woman living here with him. _What if he had more kids?_ I looked around the yard, but didn't see any evidence of that. No toys or bikes lying around like the neighbors had in their yard.

"So, you getting out?" Jake interrupted my thoughts and I jumped a little. "Oh, uh, yea." I opened the car door and stepped out. So did Jake. Even though I could hold my own, I was kind of glad to have Jake with me. He was pretty intimidating if you didn't know him. He was so tall and full of muscles. Even with his t-shirt on, you could tell he was built. I was really nervous. All of a sudden, I regretted the large amount of food I just ate for lunch! I felt like it might come back up at any time.

"I wonder if he's home," I said. I could see a truck parked on the street, but I didn't know if it was his. We walked slowly up the walk then up the steps onto the porch. I stood in front of the door and looked at Jake. He had a scowl on his face and I smiled at him. I finally got the courage to knock on the door. We heard someone move inside and my heart started beating wildly. _Oh God, why am I here? This was a stupid idea! What am I going to say to this man?_

Just as I was giving into the idea of turning and running, the door opened and there he stood. I knew it was him right away. He looked just like the picture, only much taller and broader and a little older. He would be about 40 now. He was still very handsome and his hair was dark and shorter than it had been in the picture. He was wearing a tight fitting t-shirt and jeans. "What can I do for you? I don't have any money to buy anything," he said.

Jake elbowed me and I said, my voice shaking a little, "Uh, we're not selling anything. I just want to talk to you Mr. Uley. My name is Leah. Leah Clearwater. And this is Jacob Black. Can we come in?" I saw the shock in his face when he heard our names. He knew who we were and where we were from.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said as he started to close the door. Jake shot his hand out and held the door. "Look, mister, we drove all this way, and I think you have a few minutes to answer some questions, OK?" Jake's look was menacing. Josh knew he didn't have a choice, even though I realized, as big as he was, it would be an even fight between them. He stepped back from the door and Jake pushed it open for me to walk in.

We stepped inside into a small living room. It was a cozy room, but dark. There was a small loveseat and a chair, with a reading lamp behind it, and a coffee table cluttered with newspapers and magazines and a coffee cup with coffee still in it. The room had a small fireplace on one wall, and there were pictures on the mantle. I couldn't help myself. I drifted over to look at the pictures. I was stunned when I noticed who was in the first photograph I saw! _That's Sam! As a little boy, with his mom. _There was another one of Josh holding Sam when he was around two. There was a framed photo of Levi Uley and his wife that I recognized from Embry's book that Emily made him, and another of Josh, and his wife and Sam, probably taken right before Joshua left. Sam was maybe 4 in the photo. I frowned as I picked up a frame that held a picture of Sam as a teenager. _How did he have this one?_ He was old enough to drive because he was standing in front of the old car he bought when he was seventeen. I spent a lot of time riding around in that car with him. I turned and looked at Joshua. "Where the hell did you get this picture?" I asked. Jake stepped over and looked at it.

"I took it," Joshua said quietly. Jake and I both looked up at him and I said, "What? You took it?"

He nodded. "I have a photo album full of pictures of him. Do you want to sit down? I am sure you have a lot of questions you want to ask." I looked at Jake and put the picture back on the mantle. He nodded and we went to the loveseat and sat down.

"Yea, I have a question," Jake started. "Like, how the hell does a guy have the balls to walk away from his family and never come back? Never pickup a phone to let them know he was still alive? Never show up for his wife's funeral? Oh wait, I guess that was three questions," Jake added sarcastically.

I stared at Joshua. I tried hard to read him, but I couldn't. I remember that Angie said he was rather quiet, and I understood that now. He finally took a deep breath and said, "I can see why you would be angry. It looked that way, didn't it? Before I give you any answers, let me ask you, how did you find me, and does Sam know you're here? I take it your friends of Sam's."

"No, he doesn't we're here," I answered. "I used to date Sam, but now we are just really good friends. Jake is one of his best friends. I found you through Charlie Swan, the sheriff in Forks."

"My girlfriend's dad," Jake added in a menacing tone.

Joshua nodded then he looked at Jake and smiled. "I take it you must belong to Billy Black. I see the resemblance. And, you said your last name was Clearwater? As in Harry Clearwater?"

"Yes, he was my dad."

"Was?"

"Yes, he died recently," I said softly.

"I'm sorry to hear that, I really am. Harry was a good man." I looked at him as he said that. He looked like he really meant that.

"So, anyway, Charlie put your name into his computer and it popped up because of your DUI," I told him. "We got your address from the report. I know it probably wasn't legal, but I didn't really care."

He smiled. "Pretty smart, really. Yea, that was a tough day for me. Did you see the date on that arrest report?" I shook my head and looked at Jake who just shrugged. "Sam's wedding day. I really wanted to be there for him, but I knew it was another red letter day for Sam that I would have to miss. Just like his birthdays, Christmases, graduation. So, I hit a bar on the way home from work and, well, alcohol doesn't really affect me, but I had to try. After 8 beers, I only blew a .09. Guess that was a waste of money, huh?"

"How did you know it was Sam's wedding day?" I asked him.

"I still get the local newspaper. I saw the announcement," he explained.

I forgot that Emily had put her engagement announcement in the LaPush paper. I nodded.

Jake leaned forward and said gruffly, "Alright, start talking. Answer my questions already, will ya?"

Joshua looked over at him and smiled. "OK. I'm not sure where to start." He took a deep breath and said, "I know what you must think of me. What they all must think. I know Sam hates me, and that's what hurts the most. I didn't want to leave them. Maybe you don't believe that, but I didn't. I had to." He looked over at Jake and said, "You're a big guy. How old are you?"

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Jake asked. I looked at him then answered Joshua for him, "He's 18."

"That's what I thought. How long have you been phasing into wolf form? Not long, I'll bet." Both Jake and I just stared at him. Jake stuttered, "How did . . . you know about that?"

Joshua got a strange look on his face and looked away for a moment. Then he looked back at Jake and said, "I know, because I, too, am a wolf. You see, I'm a mix of Quileute and Makah. It's not always a good mix. There are a very small percentage of us with that mixture of genes that cause us to phase into a wolf, but very different from you. It's not a blessing in any way, Jacob. It is very much a curse. The first time it happened to me, my grandfather Levi was still alive. He took me under his wing and tried to help. That's when he realized what I really was. He told me that I had to go away, to go to the Makah and tell them. There was a pack of wolves like me there, and he knew they could help me. It didn't happen to me when I was in my teens like you. I was 22, already married, with a little boy. The first time, I . . . well, it was terrifying. My grandfather sent word that I had gone hunting with him so they wouldn't worry about me. In fact, he wasn't really lying. When I came out of it, I was so afraid of hurting them. I tried to stay away from them, keep my distance. But Mary knew something was wrong, and I couldn't tell her. Even Sam knew something was different. I could see it in his eyes when he looked at me." Joshua closed his eyes for a moment. "And that killed me."

Jake asked, "What is so different about you? I never heard anything about this."

He looked at Jacob and said, "No, you wouldn't have. The Quileute don't like to talk about us. We are the misfits." He stood up and went to the mantle and picked up the picture of him holding Sam. He gazed at it for a moment then put it back down and turned to us. "When I phase, it isn't to protect humans from vampires. You are a shape shifter, Jacob. You take the form of a wolf. I'm more werewolf than you." He hesitated then said, "You see, I hunt and kill, but not just vampires. That's the genetic flaw. When I phase into wolf form, I lose myself completely and the werewolf takes over. To me, all human forms are targets. It's . . . horrible. Worse than any nightmare you've ever had. Hell could not be as bad as living like this." He turned back to the mantle and slumped his shoulders.

I looked at Jake and he looked at me. _I couldn't believe what I was hearing! Could this be true? Or is this an elaborate story just to cover up his poor life choices? _"Are you serious?" Jake asked in awe.

He turned back to us and gave us a sad smile. "Yes, very. I don't phase with the moon or anything like in the movies. I wish I did because then I could be ready. But, unfortunately, I have very little warning. You know how you had that fever the first time you phased?" Jake and I both nodded. "And then what you went through right after? That's what happens to me _every_ time. When I was young and first phasing, I would feel the fever come on, and I knew that I had very little time before I was completely gone. And I never knew when it would happen. I might go three days then phase for three or four then be human again for maybe five days." He shook his head and went on, "That's why I had to go. I could not take even the slightest chance that I would hurt Mary or Sam. I loved them, and was so afraid that in my frenzy, I wouldn't be able to keep myself from hurting them . . . or worse. So, one night, I left. I thought about faking my death so they could move on after awhile without me. But, for some reason, I thought that somehow, someone could help to know how to beat this, or at least, how to live with it. I guess I wanted some way to be able to come back if that happened. "

"Anyway, I left for the Makah Reservation. I looked there for the man that Grandpa told me to find. I finally found him and he took me in and told me a little more about what I was. He told me to go north to a reservation there. That's where the misfits like me all lived. It was very remote and they mostly attacked animals because there weren't many humans around. I went there and stayed for 9 years. It was such a pitiful existence. I pretty much lost myself and became the wolf. But in my few human moments, I kept thinking about my family. About everyone I left behind. Sam was growing older and I was missing so much! I decided I had to try to come back. I finally left there and came here. I wanted to be close to them, but have some distance, too, just in case I couldn't control things. I got a job at the docks, and tried to stay in control as best I could. I had learned some techniques from a man at the rez up north to help me hold off a little longer when the fever set in. As soon as I felt the fever coming on, I would try to get out of town and head to the most remote place I could find. I can't say it always worked. Sometimes, I would find a human before I could . . . but, anyway."

He moved back to sit in the chair. "I had been here about a month, and my thoughts kept turning to Mary and Sam. I wondered how they were doing and I knew Sam had probably grown so much! I had to see them. So, I drove to LaPush and parked down the street from the school. I knew Sam would be in about 8th grade or so, so I put on a baseball cap and some sunglasses and sat there and waited for school to get out. I was shaking sitting there, I was so nervous. I was afraid he would recognize me somehow. The doors opened and kids came pouring out, running for the buses. Then I saw him! He came walking out slowly with a backpack on his back. No friends walking with him. He made his way slowly to the bus and walked up the steps and disappeared inside." I could see the guilt and sadness in his eyes as he talked. "That was hard to see, knowing I had done that to him." Joshua had his arm propped on the arm of the chair, and he rested his head in his hand and was quiet for a moment.

He put his head up and looked at us. "I made trips to LaPush every couple of weeks or so. I bought a camera with a telephoto lens. I would find out of the way spots to observe Mary and Sam and I would snap pictures of them. I wanted so badly to run to them, to tell them I was here, and I was alive! But I still couldn't take the chance. My phasing was still too frequent. I would never put them in danger like that. So, I stayed in the shadows."

"I remember the day I found out that Mary died." He put his head down and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose with his finger and thumb. Jake and I were engrossed in his story. We didn't move a muscle. I was barely breathing. "I ordered a subscription to the LaPush paper, but I put it in my neighbor's name. I pick it up from him once a week. So one day, I opened the paper, and there it was. Her . . . obituary." He had to stop. "I can't even begin to describe how I felt when I read it." He looked at Jacob and said, "I wanted to be there, Jacob, I really did. Especially for Sam. He was only 16, and now he had no parents. I guess his grandmother had moved in with them, so at least he had someone to watch out for him. I waited until after the funeral, and I drove to the cemetery. I took some white roses with me and I laid them on her grave." I could see the tears in his eyes. "Mary didn't deserve the life she had. We were very young when we got married. We had only dated a short time, and well, she found out she was pregnant. I did the proper thing and asked her to marry me. It's not that I didn't love her, I did, but not like I should have. Not like she deserved. But, I wished many times that we had not rushed into things, you know? It wasn't fair to her."

I thought about Angie. _Is that why he didn't love Mary as much? Did he still care for Angie? _

"So, anyway, I still made my trips to LaPush to keep an eye on Sam. I was afraid for him. He was getting closer to the age I was when I first phased, and I wasn't sure if he would turn into . . . well, if he would be like me. I had a bad spell and couldn't get back to check on him for about three months. The next time I saw him, I knew. He was huge, and he was running through town with no shirt on. I knew then that he had phased. But into what? I wasn't sure how to find out. I parked my truck at the LaPush beach and I walked out into the woods a little and found a place to hide. I did that for a few nights then finally, one night, he came into sight. I knew it was him right away. This wolf trotted right into the clearing and he was big and black, but he had Sam's eyes. I felt relief wash over me. I knew he was just out running, not hunting. I watched him run off and I went back to my truck and drove home."

"Once I knew he was not going to be like me, I pulled back on my trips. I guess I figured he deserved to live his life without me spying on him anymore." He looked at us and smiled. "His wife sure is beautiful. They looked happy in that picture in the paper. Are they?" he asked me.

It took me a minute to realize he was asking me a question. I was completely overwhelmed but what I had just heard. "Oh, uh, yea. Emily is my cousin, actually. They are very happy. And . . . Emily is pregnant."

"Really? Well, that's wonderful," he said with a smile.

I looked over at Jacob who was very quiet. I think he was overwhelmed by Joshua's story, too. _Could it really be true? Did he leave to protect his family? The family he loved? _I looked back at Joshua. I was starting to believe it.


	27. Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

Leah POV:

I looked at the smile on Joshua's face and believed he truly was happy to hear that Sam and Emily were having a baby.

"Um, I happen to have some pictures with me, from the wedding." I had just printed off some wedding pictures for Embry and they were in my bag. I pulled out the envelope and opened it. I took out one of just Sam and Emily. I handed it to him. It was more of a close-up than the one in the paper. And it showed her whole face.

"They look so happy . . . oh. " He noticed her face. He stared at the picture and his eyes grew worried. He looked up at me and asked, "What happened to her face?"

"Um, one day, when Sam was first phasing, he became angry, and Emily was a little too close. He phased and . . . well, she was in the way. He hates that he hurt her. It was just a terrible accident, but he will never quit blaming himself. He carries the guilt with him every day. But he loves her very much. And she loves him."

"But it was an accident? He hasn't . . . hurt her again? Or anyone else?" Joshua asked quickly.

"No," I assured him. I knew he was thinking that maybe Sam was more like him. "No, not at all. Sam is very protective of Emily. Of all of us." He looked immediately relieved.

"Good, that's good," he said. He looked at the picture again and asked, "Where did they get married?"

"In the backyard of their house. It was really beautiful." I tried to describe how everything was decorated and how Emily made her own wedding cake. I handed him another picture of me and Emily right before the ceremony. "I was the maid of honor," I explained.

He nodded. "You both look lovely," he said with a smile. "Who was Sam's best man?" he asked. _Should I tell him about Embry? He has a right to know that he has another son. I think Angie would want him to know. _I looked over at Jake. He gave me a scowl, and I shrugged at him and looked back to Joshua and said, "His brother, Embry."

Joshua's head snapped up and he said, "Who? His brother? What? I wasn't aware that Mary . . ."

I looked him in the eye and said, "Mary wasn't Embry's mother. His mother's name is Angela Call."

_That did it. _I could see instantly in his eyes the shock at hearing her name. "Angie? Angie was pregnant?" He sat back in his chair and stared at the floor. I was afraid for a minute that he had a stroke or something! "Joshua? Are you alright?"

He looked at me and said, "Yes. I'm sorry, I had no idea you knew about Angie."

"I know her well. I'm in love with her son. Your son, Embry." I pulled out a picture of Embry and me from the wedding. It was a good close-up of us and Embry was smiling and looked so happy. I handed it to him.

He took it and his hands were shaking. He stared at it and I could see a tear slip from his eye and roll down his cheek. "Oh my God. My son. His eyes, they look . . ."

"Yes, Angie said he had your eyes, and I can see that he does." He looked up at me and said, "He's all grown up!"

I smiled and said, "Yes, he just turned 18 this summer."

"I can't believe I have another son. And with Angie. He lives in LaPush with you both?" I nodded and he asked, "Where is Angie?"

"In LaPush. She moved there as soon as she found out she was pregnant. She knew that you were from there, so she went to find you. When she got there, Old Quil told her that you had left your wife and son, and never come back. So, she rented a house there so that if you did come back to LaPush, she would be there waiting for you. She loved you very much, you know. She gave birth to Embry, and raised him on her own. She's never married, or even dated, for that matter. He just found out this summer that you were his father. She never told him. Sam knows, too, by the way, and has accepted Embry as his brother. They are really getting close." I handed him another picture. This one was just Sam and Embry. "When Embry was 17, he phased. He's a wolf, like Sam. So is Jacob and . . . so am I."

He looked at me and said, "You? Are you serious? A female wolf? Has that ever happened?"

I smiled and said, "No. I guess I'm a misfit, too." He smiled at that. Then he turned his attention back to the picture in his hand. "You see, when Embry phased, everyone was shocked! Angie moved there when she was pregnant with him, and no one knew anything about his father because she never said anything. Not even to Embry. So when he phased, he knew he must belong to someone in the tribe, but no one would tell him. My mom is a nurse and she helped us do some simple DNA tests with Embry, Sam, Jake here, and Quil Atera. It turned out that Sam was Embry's brother, so he knew you were his father. Then Angie sat down and told him about you."

Joshua looked up at me and said with a smile, "I have a feeling the DNA tests were your idea."

I smiled back and nodded. I sat back and looked at Jake. He was so quiet. I was a little worried about him. "Jake, you OK?" I said quietly.

He looked over at me and shook his head. "Um, do you have a bathroom? I need to . . ." Jake asked. Joshua lifted his head and said, "Oh yes. Down that hall, right before you get to the kitchen."

"Thanks," Jake said as he got up and left the room.

"So, you are in love with Embry," Joshua said as he looked at me. I smiled and said, "Yes." He nodded and looked back down at the picture. "He is quite a handsome guy," he said with a chuckle. I had to laugh at that.

"You would be very proud of him. He promised his mom that he would graduate high school, even though he's 18 and he thinks he's too old for it. He has 5 more credits then he will graduate mid-term. He and Jacob work on cars, and they are really good at it! They are saving money to open their own repair shop. Embry is funny and smart, and he cares a lot about the people in his life. He's very protective of them. He is very happy to have Sam as a big brother. And he's excited about being an uncle," I added with a smile. "I'm very lucky that he loves me so much."

"I can see that, Leah. You light up when you talk about him," he said with a smile. "I think he's pretty lucky, too." He looked back down at the picture of Embry. It's like he couldn't look at it enough.

I looked at him and asked, "Tell me about Angie." He raised his eyebrows. "I know the story from her point of view. She fell for you, hard. She wouldn't have gone away with you like that if she hadn't have felt something for you. I have a feeling that you fell hard for her too."

He smiled and leaned back, still holding the picture of Sam and Embry. I had a feeling I wasn't getting that back. "I did, Leah. I fell hard for her, like you said. It truly was love at first sight. She came out of that little grocery store and bumped into me and I felt like I had been hit by lightning! She was so beautiful. I asked her where I could find this man that my grandpa had sent me to find and she told me. But for some reason, I couldn't let her go. I led her next door and ordered a soda for her while I drank a beer. I wasn't even sure if she was 18, she looked so young! I remember dancing with her, and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Just the way it felt to hold her in my arms – it was amazing! I remember, I leaned down and kissed her, and it was like this fire spreading through me. I asked her to leave with me and she did. We got into my truck and I found a little out of the way place to park and I had her in my arms right away. " He closed his eyes for a moment. I felt the sofa cushion move and realized that Jake was back.

Joshua opened his eyes and said, "Well, I won't go into detail with you, young lady, but suffice it to say that Angie was very special. I drove her home and when I pulled up to that little shack she called a house and heard the screaming coming out of there, I couldn't leave her there. I don't know why, but I asked her to come away with me, and I couldn't believe it when she said yes! We went down the coast and found a little motel, and well . . ."

"I know, Angie told us. You stayed there for three days. She fell in love with you, Joshua. She said she didn't understand it, but she knew that she loved you."

He smiled and said, "And I loved her. I mean no disrespect to Sam's mom, but those were the happiest days of my life." He leaned forward and looked at me very seriously and asked, "You know about imprinting, don't you?" I closed my eyes for a moment and said, "Uh, yes. I know all about it, believe me." I looked at Jake and he smiled at me.

Joshua went on, "I believe that's what happened between me and Angie. It was so fast, and so strong. I never wanted to let her go. But, on that third day, I felt the fever coming on and I knew I had to get away from her. I couldn't stand the thought of hurting her. I know she didn't understand, and I felt like shit, I really did. It took every ounce of strength I had in me to take her back to that horrible hell hole and leave her there. God, how I hated myself! I'll never forget her face as I drove away. It still haunts me sometimes at night when I close my eyes. Not a day goes by when I don't think about her. When I left her, I told myself it would only be for a little while. Until this phase passed. I found Bob on the reservation, and that's when he told me about the rez up north. I took off that day." He looked down at the picture once more.

"I went back to find her, you know. When I left the reservation, and headed south, I stopped there. Her aunt had passed away, and her uncle, the old drunk, he told me that she up and left and took everything with her and he had no idea where she had gone. I was devastated! I had no idea where to look for her. I can't believe I was so stupid not to think of her going to LaPush to find me. And all those times I was in LaPush, I never saw her."

"Well, she works at a factory in Forks, actually." I told him. "She gets up early in the morning and goes to work then comes home and eats dinner and goes to bed. She really doesn't get out at all. We have just recently gotten her to spend time with us. She was at Sam's wedding and we had a big birthday party for Embry on the beach and she came. The elders finally consented to tell her about Embry. She didn't know anything about this wolf thing. Now she does, and it is so much easier for Embry. He hated lying to his mom."

He nodded. "It has been hell being away from her. I mean it physically hurts to think about her." He looked down at the picture of Embry again. "I can see her in his face, too."

We were all very quiet for some time. I knew this was making Jake very uncomfortable. Finally, Joshua looked at me and said, "I know that I did not handle things the right way. I was scared . . . I should have at least called them and let them know I was alive. I could have made up some story, I guess. I just did what I thought was best to protect them." I could see the pain in his eyes as he talked. He really did love them. I could hear it in his voice and I could see it as he looked at their pictures. He looked at the picture of Sam and Emily then he held up the one of Sam and Embry. "Do you think I could see them? Just once?" Jake sat up and looked at me. I could see the protective Jake coming out. I looked at him and willed him to calm down.

I looked back to Joshua and said slowly, "I don't know. I have to tell you that they are both full of anger and rage for you. Especially Sam. His mom never got over you leaving, and it was really hard on him. And when he phased for the first time, he had absolutely no idea what was happening! He was terrified. It took him two weeks to calm down enough to phase back. He's always been pretty pissed that he didn't have his father there to tell him what was happening. Just by chance, he ran into Old Quil who shook his hand and knew immediately by the 108 temp he was running what was going on. He told the elders and they took him and helped him get through it. In turn, Sam helped everyone else, including Jacob here. Sam is the Alpha of the pack."

He frowned and said, "Sam is?" He looked at Jacob and asked, "Aren't you descended from Ephraim Black? You should be . . ."

Jake finally spoke up and said, "Yes, I am the true Alpha, but I haven't been a wolf very long. Sam is doing it until I am ready to step up. He's doing a fine job, and I'm in no hurry." Joshua nodded. I could see the pride in his eyes at Sam being the Alpha.

"I can ask them, prepare them, I guess. But I can't promise anything," I said to him. Jake glared at me. "I have no idea how they will take the news that you're alive. I think it's easier for them to pretend you're dead."

"Maybe that's how it should stay," Jake said coldly. I looked at him and said, "Jake!"

Joshua smiled at Jake. "I can see they have a good friend in you."

Jake sat up a little taller and said, "Embry is my best friend. My brother. I would NEVER let anyone hurt him. EVER."

"I don't want to hurt Embry either, Jacob. Or Sam," Joshua told him. "But, I would like them to know that I didn't abandon them on purpose. It has killed me every single day that I have been away from Sam. And Mary, and . . . Angie. And now, to find out that I have another son that I have never even seen . . . well . . ." he hung his head for a moment then he looked at me and said, "The phases, as I have gotten older, they don't come as frequently now. I have more time in between. Now I have weeks instead of days. I would really like to spend some of that time with my sons."

"Do you have a phone? Some way for me to get in touch with you?" I asked him. He smiled and said quickly, Yes, here let me write it down for you." He reached out and grabbed a notebook off of the cluttered table and wrote down a phone number. He tore off the paper and handed it to me. I folded it and stuck it into my bag.

"You can keep the picture of Sam and Embry. I'll make another one. And the one of Sam and Emily. Keep that, too."

"Thank you so much, Leah. You have no idea what these mean to me."

"Oh wait!" I said as I looked through the pack. "I think I have one in here . . . yes, here it is. Here's one of Angie." I handed it to him and I thought he would pass out! He took it and looked at it like it was the most precious thing in the world. It was a really good picture of her. She was wearing her new peach colored dress, and had her hair up with a few tendrils hanging by her face. She was smiling and talking to Rachel, Jake's sister. I explained that to Joshua as he stared at the picture.

Finally he said, "She looks exactly like I remember. Like she hasn't aged a day," he said softly. "She is still so beautiful." He looked up at me and said, "Thank you, Leah. Thank you." I could see the tears in his eyes again. I knew it was time for me to go.

I stood up and Jake popped up right away beside me then turned and headed for the door. Joshua stood up and said, "Would it be alright for me to give you a hug?" I smiled and nodded and he put his arms around me and hugged me then let me go. "Thank you for coming here today, Leah. And you, too, Jacob. I know it was hard for you, but I am so glad to see that my son . . . my sons, have such good people around them." And then he smiled at us.

I moved to the door and Jake opened it and walked out then held it open for me. I walked out onto the porch and turned to say, "I'll call you soon, OK?" He nodded and said, "I'll be waiting." I turned and walked behind Jake to the car. We both got in and Jake started the engine and put it in gear. As he pulled away from the curb, I watched Joshua. He waved and I waved back. I leaned my head back and thought that this was one of the weirdest days I had ever had.


	28. Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28

Leah POV:

We were quiet for a long time on the drive home. Finally I turned to Jacob and said, "What do you think I should do?"

He glanced at me as he was driving and said, "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. All it will do is hurt them, Leah."

I sighed. I knew it would hurt them. But if they could just hear the story and see the pain I saw in his eyes. Maybe . . .

"You're going to tell them, aren't you?" Jake asked me. "I know you want to. You think that because you got past all of the hurt you had with Sam and Emily that they can do that with him. It's different, Leah. What happened to you was bad. I know it hurt you. But just think about how long Sam has had to live with this! And having to watch his mom cry everyday because of that bastard? And the worst part is, he didn't even really love her! She died missing him every single day, and he didn't even love her. He loved Angie!"

Yea, I knew that's how Sam would see it, too. "God, I don't know, Jake. I know, this is awful. But it would answer so many of their questions! Isn't that worth the pain?"

"Really, Leah? Do you think it's worth that much pain?"

We fell silent again and didn't talk again until Jake pulled up to my house. We had been gone since 9:30 this morning, and it was now almost 4:00. Embry had already called Jake to see where he was, and Jake told him he had to run to town and he was on his way back. Jake looked over at me and said, "Look, Leah. Think really hard about this, OK? This isn't about you. It's about Sam and Embry. Just remember that."

I nodded. "Jake, thanks for taking me there today. I know it was hard for you, but I'm really glad you were with me." I reached over and put my arms around him to give him a hug. He hugged me back and said, "Yea, it's OK. I would have rather taken you to the doctor to see if you were pregnant."

I pulled back and laughed really hard at that. He laughed, too. I smacked his arm and said, "See you later."

"See ya, Leah." I got out of the car and headed into the house. I went straight up to my room and closed the door. I laid my bag on my bed and laid down on my back. I had a lot of thinking to do.

Embry POV:

"Did you pick up the oil filter and spark plugs for this car, Jake?" I asked as he walked into the garage. I had pulled the old filter and the old plugs out and was waiting for the new ones.

"Shit! No, I forgot. I'll get them tomorrow. Look, just go on home, OK? It's already late," Jake said.

_Late? It was like 4:30! What's up with him? _"Hey, you OK? You seem pissed about something." I wiped my hands on shop rag and walked over to Jake.

Jake looked at me and I could see he wanted to say something, but he didn't. "I'm, oh . . . it's Bella. Yea, she said something that pissed me off, that's all."

_Bella. Right. They NEVER fought. Something else was bugging him. _He walked over to the work bench and sat down and flipped through a car magazine. "Come on, bro. I'm your best friend. You can tell me anything, dude. Or is it me? You pissed at me for some reason?"

He turned and looked at me and said, "Look, Em, I'm OK. Just let it be. Go home and I'll see ya tomorrow." He got up and walked out the door that leads to the house. _What the fuck was that about? Jake is easy going. This isn't like him at all. _I shook my head and put my tools away.

I walked out to my truck and hopped in. _Guess I'll go see Leah. Maybe she's in a better mood than Jake._

I pulled up to Leah's house and went to the door. Seth answered and said, "Leah's not here, Embry. She left me some money and told me to order a pizza for dinner then she left."

"What? Where did she go?" I asked him.

He shrugged and said, "I don't know. She didn't say. She took off out the back door."

I nodded. "OK. See ya Seth." He closed the door and I walked back to the truck. _Huh. That's weird. What the hell is going on around here? First Jake and now Leah._ I figured she might have gone for a walk on the beach. When she goes out the back door, that's usually where she's headed. I left the truck parked at Leah's and took the path to the beach.

I didn't see her at all. Where could she be? I kept walking and got to the place where the rocks were; where we almost made love before Sam called us to his house to chase vampires. I climbed over the rocks and there she was. She was sitting on the sand with her knees drawn up under her chin, looking out at the water. I jumped down off of the rocks and she hardly moved. "Leah? Hey, babe," I said as I sat down next to her.

She looked over and said, "Hey. I'm glad to see you." She put her arms around my neck and I pulled her to me. She held on tight. "What's wrong, baby?" I asked in her ear. She pushed herself back and said, "Just thinking."

"About what? You seem kind of . . . I don't know. Are you upset about something? Did I do something wrong, or . . ."

"No! Embry, no. I'm not mad at you. I just have some decisions to make, and I needed some time and space to do that. That's all. Really. I'm fine. How was your day? Tell me!" she asked me with a little too much enthusiasm.

I shook my head and said, "Well, the usual I guess. Went to school, took a math test, which I think I actually may have passed, handed in my English assignment and almost made Mrs. Grey have a heart attack, came home starving, ate three sandwiches and went to Jake's. He's acting really weird, by the way. He seems pissed about something, but he wouldn't talk to me about it. That's not like him at all. He told me that Bella said something to piss him off, but I didn't believe him. They never fight! Anyway, he told me to go home, so I came to find you."

She laughed and said, "Wow, that's quite a day!" I laughed and said, "Well, you asked!" I had my arm around her shoulder and she felt so tense. "Here turn around," I said as I turned her back toward me. I began rubbing her shoulders to try and release some of that tension.

She sighed and said, "Oh, that feels really good." I rubbed her shoulders and neck for awhile then I leaned forward and kissed her neck and shoulders. She turned to face me and said softly, "Kiss me, Embry." I smiled and put my lips on hers. I kissed her softly, gently. She put her arms around my neck and leaned into me and I held her. She kissed me back, but not as aggressively as she usually did. It was like she was trying to savor each kiss. She pulled back a little and whispered "I love you, Embry. So much." I looked into her eyes and said, "I love you, too, baby." She smiled and laid her head on my shoulder and I held her.

She lifted her head after awhile and said, "Let's go get something to eat. I'm hungry." I gave her a weird look and said, "OK, sure." She stood up and held out her hand. I got up and grabbed it and we walked back hand in hand to her house. I said, "Seth said you gave him money to order pizza. I'm sure he only ordered enough for himself!"

She laughed and said, "Yea, you know him pretty well. Let's go to your house, and we'll order a pizza from there. I can help you with your homework." I nodded and we walked around to where I left the truck and hopped in. I started the truck and headed for home. She had the window down and her hair was flying in the breeze. She looked out the window as I drove. _I still felt like something was off. Whatever was going on, I guess I would just have to wait for her to be ready to talk to me._

I pulled up to the house and we got out of the truck and walked inside. Mom was home from work so she greeted us when we walked in. "Hey guys. What's up?"

"Not much. We thought we would order pizza. Want to join us?" I asked her.

She smiled and said, "Sure! I'll even buy, how's that? I think there are some coupons hanging on the fridge." She got up to look. I looked over at Leah and she was staring at my mom like she'd never seen her before. She looked over at me and knew that I caught her staring. She looked away and walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. "Here. I have a coupon for two large pizzas for $12. Can't beat that. Pepperoni and sausage, right?"

"Yea, sounds good, Mom," I said distractedly. Mom went to the phone to order the pizza. I sat down on the couch next to Leah. She smiled and said, "So, do you have any homework? Maybe we could do it while we wait for the pizza."

I just couldn't put my finger on it, but she was acting really strange. I sighed and picked up my bookbag and took out my trig book. "I have some trig, and I could use your help. We learned some new stuff today, and I don't think I got what she was trying to teach us."

"OK, let's take a look," she said. She picked up my book and we spent about a half hour going over my homework. She was really smart, and very patient. She would make a really good teacher someday. I looked at her and told her that.

She smiled and said, "Thanks, Embry. I hope so." She leaned over and put a quick kiss on my lips. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Mom! Pizza's here!" I hollered out. Mom had gone back to take a shower and change clothes. She was in her bedroom. She called out, "Money's on the table with the coupon." I went over and picked it up then answered the door.

I paid the guy and put the pizza on the table. Leah got some plates out of the cupboard and some napkins. Mom came out in her sweats and a t-shirt, her hair wet. "Man, I feel better!" she said. Leah smiled at her and handed her a plate. We all sat down and ate pizza and talked about our day. Everyone, that is, except Leah.

I looked over at her and asked, "How was your day? What did you do?"

She looked up at me and said, "Oh you know. Laundry, picking up after Seth, worked on some homework. Not much." She got up and put her plate in the sink. "I need to use the bathroom. Be right back," she said. She walked down the hall and went into the bathroom.

"She OK?" Mom asked. "She seems, I don't know, preoccupied, or something."

"You see it, too? Yea, she's been like that since I found her at the beach. She said she had some decisions to make and she just needed some time to think. I wonder what decisions she's talking about." _It was creeping me out, really._

"Well, don't bug her. She'll talk to you when she's ready," Mom said. She got up and put her plate in the sink. "You done?" she asked me. I nodded and she took my plate. I picked up the empty pizza boxes and took them outside to the trash can. I came back inside and Leah was helping Mom wash up the dishes.

"I hate to do this, but I have to run patrol tonight. I have to leave in 10 minutes," I said to them. "Do you want me to run you home real quick, Leah?"

She smiled and said, "Um, no. I'll stay here with your mom for a little while, if that's OK?" she asked Mom.

Mom looked surprised, but said, "Sure. I'll run her home later." I shrugged and said, "OK."

I went back to my room to change into basketball shorts as they were easier to roll up and tie to my ankle than jean cut-offs. I sat down on my bed for a minute. I was worried about Leah. _Something was just not right. What kind of decision would she have to make? __And why did she want to stay here with my mom?_ I shook my head, stood up and walked back out to the living room. Mom and Leah were laughing about something. "My, aren't you two getting along so well?"

Mom said, "Yes, we are." I leaned down and put a kiss on Mom's head. "See ya later, Mom." She smiled at me and said, "Be careful, honey."

I leaned down and put a kiss on Leah's lips. "See ya, baby." She smiled and said, "Mmm, love you."

I smiled and said, "Love you, too." I kissed her again then walked out. I closed the door and thought again how strange Leah was acting. She had told me she loved me twice tonight, before I said it. I jogged off toward the woods hoping that I would wake up tomorrow and everything would be back to normal.

Leah POV:

I was alone with Angie. I couldn't stop thinking about Joshua. I had to tell her. I had to. "Um, Angie. I had a very strange day, and I want to tell you about it. It's kind of hard though. And I'm not sure you'll want to say anything to Embry."

She looked at me with squinted eyes. "OK," she said slowly. "What is this about?"

I took a deep breath and looked her in the eye and said, "Joshua Uley."

"What? What about Josh?" she asked me. She was intrigued, I knew it.

"Angie, I met him today." I saw her eyes go wide and I went on quickly," I had Charlie track him down and Jake took me to meet him today. He's alive, Angie. And living in Port Angeles." Her face went completely white. She shook her head back and forth and said slowly, "He's alive? You met him?"

"Yes, Angie. I want to tell you about it. Is that OK?" I asked her.

She looked at me and nodded. "Yes, Leah. Yes. Tell me." I told her everything that Joshua had told me today. Everything. Why he left, where he went. How much he missed his family, and her. I also explained to her about imprinting, and told her that's what he believed happened to them. I told her how he went back to Makah and looked for her. How he settled close so he could come back and keep an eye on Sam. "And, there's something else." I hesitated then said, "I told him about Embry. She looked at me with fear and anxiety. "I know it wasn't my place to tell him, Angie. I'm sorry. But he was so . . . he was very happy to know that you had his son, Angie."

She closed her eyes and when she opened them, she had tears there. "Really? He was happy? I always wondered if he would be angry if he knew, or if . . ." she nodded her head and said, "It's OK, Leah. I always wanted him to know that we had a son." She reached out and took my hand.

"Angie? Do you want to see him?" I asked her softly.

She looked up at me quickly and said, "Do you think he would see me?"

"Yes. He asked if he thought Sam and Embry would see him. I don't know what to do about that. I think it would be so painful for Sam. But for Embry . . . I think once he gets past the shock, he might want to meet him, don't you?"

She was quiet for a moment while she thought about it. "I don't know, Leah. I think that would be up to Embry, but I hope so."

I nodded. "What if you see Joshua first then decide what to tell Embry?"

"Yes. Do you know how to contact Josh?" she asked me with hope in her eyes.

"He gave me his phone number." I reached out and picked up my bag. I pulled the paper out with his phone number on it. I held it out to her. She stared at it then slowly took it from me.

She looked up at me and said softly, "I can't believe after all of these years that I can just pick up the phone and call him. What would I say?"

I smiled and suggested, "How about, 'Hello?' " She laughed and held the paper to her heart. "I guess that might work."

I reached out and picked up the phone and handed it to her. She looked at me and took it. She slowly dialed the number and held the phone to her ear. She closed her eyes and held her breath. I saw her eyes pop open and she said breathlessly, "Hello, Josh. It's . . . Angie." She smiled and tears rolled down her cheeks. "Yea, it's great to hear your voice, too." I squeezed her hand and stood up. I walked back into Embry's room to give her some privacy. I closed the door and sat down on his bed_. God, I hope I did the right thing._

I laid down on Embry's bed and rested my head on his pillow. I breathed in and savored his scent. I saw one of his t-shirts tossed on the end of the bed. I picked it up and slipped it over my head and put it on. I loved him so much that it scared me. It took me so long to give in and just love him. Sometimes the intensity of that feeling just overwhelmed me! As I lay there in his bed, I worried about what I had just put into motion. His parents were talking to each other on the phone. What would happen when Embry found out that Joshua was alive, and that I had given Angie his phone number? I was terrified he would hate me. I had finally realized how much I loved him, and now, I was afraid of losing him.

I looked over at his little dresser and saw the picture I gave him for his birthday. I got off of the bed and went to pick it up and look at it. We were so happy that night. I put my finger on Embry's face and smiled. I put the picture back down and looked at the stuff on his dresser. I had no idea how long Angie would be on the phone. Maybe I should just walk home. I really didn't want to still be here when Embry got back. I sat back down on the bed and picked up a car magazine that was thrown on the floor and flipped through it. I sighed and pulled Embry's t-shirt off and put it back where I found it. I cracked open the door to see if Angie was still talking. It was quiet, so I walked down the hall to look into the living room.

"Hey, how did it go?" I asked Angie. I sat down on the couch next to her. She was so happy she was glowing! She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, "Good, really good." I smiled at her and said, "I'm glad."

She held the phone to her chest, almost like she was holding onto him. "He told me how much he missed me, Leah, and I could actually hear it in his voice. How he thought of me every day. I know I should hate him for what he did to me! He never called me to explain, he just disappeared, and left me with a baby to raise on my own. But I don't hate him. I couldn't if I tried." She laid the phone down and went on, "I always knew in my heart that he was alive. And somehow I knew he was close. It's like, I could feel him, or something, you know? I knew I would see him again. I just didn't think it would take this long!" She smiled at me.

"Are you going to tell Embry?" I asked. I held my breath as I waited for her to answer.

"I want to, Leah. I want him to know his father, I really do," she answered. I nodded. "But I don't have to tell him that you found him, Leah. I know you're afraid, aren't you? That he will be angry with you?"

I gave her small smile. "Yes, I'm terrified that he'll hate me. It took me so long to finally admit to myself how much I love him, and to tell him that. Now, I'm so scared that I'll lose him."

She smiled and said, "Look, Leah. I can see how much my son loves you. I think he may be angry for awhile at both of us. But he won't hate you. You won't lose him. I promise."

"I hope you're right. Did you make plans to meet?" I asked her.

She nodded with a big smile. "We are meeting tomorrow at a diner in a little town between here and Port Angeles." She gasped and took my hand and said, "Oh my God! What am I going to wear?" I burst out laughing then she did too.

"Come on, I'll help you pick you out something," I said as I stood up.

She stood up and pulled me to her for a big hug. "Oh thank you, Leah. Thank you so much. I can't tell you how excited I am!" She let me go and then took my hand to lead me back to her bedroom to look through her closet. _At least I made somebody happy! I just wish I knew that Embry wouldn't hate me for what I've done._


	29. Chapter 29

CHAPTER 29

Embry POV:

I opened the door to my house and walked in. Mom was still up, waiting for me. _Hmmm, that's weird. _She looked at me as I closed the door and said, "Hey, Embry."

"Hey, Mom. What are you still doing up?"

I went over and plopped into the chair. I was tired, and I had school in the morning. I was ready for some sleep.

"Um, I have something I want to talk to you about, and I'm pretty sure you won't be happy about it," she started. I sat up and said, "What?"

She took a deep breath and said, "Embry, I heard from your father today."

_Did she just say . . . my father? _"What?" I stuttered, "My . . . father? What the hell are you talking about?"

"He is living in Port Angeles now and . . . he wants to see me. I'm meeting him tomorrow. Look, Embry, I know you think I should hate him for what he did. But if you could hear why he stayed away, what he's been through. I know that you would understand."

It finally registered in my head what she was trying to tell me. Then the anger hit. "So, he's alive, huh? And he has a good reason for knocking you up and dumping you? For walking away from Sam and his mom and never calling to say, 'Hey, don't worry, I'm still alive. I just don't give a shit about you.' I'm sure that's a great story, Mom. You may believe his bullshit, but I don't want to hear it." I got up and went to the front door and slammed it hard on my way out. I took off toward the woods.

The rage was traveling through me at light speed. I knew I couldn't contain it so I gave in, my shorts ripping into shreds as I phased and kept running. _He's alive! That bastard is alive and she is running to him! What the fuck is she thinking? _I ran as hard as I could trying to use up this anger. I didn't want to feel. I didn't want to think. I just wanted to run. I ran hard for a long time and I had no idea how many miles I had covered. I finally slowed down when I knew someone else was out there.

"_Embry, dude, you OK? I thought you went home." _Quil. One thing about phasing, you never get to be alone with your thoughts.

"_Not now,Quil. Leave me alone. You don't want to talk to me right now, believe me."_

"_Come on, bro. You're my best friend. I'll come to you."_

I had stopped running. I couldn't move anymore. I laid down where I was. I suddenly felt so . . . lost. Quil came running up and sat down beside me. I let go and let him see what all my mom had told me.

"_No fucking way! Your dad is alive? And living that close? Man. Does Sam know?"_

"_I don't think so. I hope not! He just got married and has a kid on the way. He doesn't need this right now. Make sure you hide this, Quil."_

"_Yea, for sure. I don't want him to kick my ass! No wonder you're so pissed."_

"_Yea, and Mom says he has a good reason for staying away and that I should hear it. What kind of reason is good enough to leave your wife and kid and let them think you don't give a shit? Huh? What reason is good enough to knock up a girl and leave her on her own? I can't think of one."_

"_Yea, me either. What are you going to do?"_

"_I don't know. Mom's going to see him tomorrow. She says she needs to see him. I know she believes him. God, I'm so angry, Quil. But yet . . . there's this part of me, I guess it's that little kid that always wanted to know his dad, that kind of . . . wants to meet him, you know?"_

"_Yea, I do. I remember you talking to him when you were a kid. At night, before we would go to sleep. Maybe you should meet him, you know? At least you wouldn't have to wonder anymore. You could get some answers. Maybe get in a good punch in the face for good measure."_

"_Yea, maybe." _I got up and decided to go home. _"Thanks, Quil. For being here for me. I guess I need to go home and face my mom."_

"_No problem, bro. I'm always here for you. But right now, I better get back on patrol. Jared's out here, too, you know."_

"_Hey, Jared. I don't care that you know, but keep it to yourself, OK? And away from Sam!"_

"_Yea, dude. You got it. Good luck, man!"_

I ran toward home then realized when I got to the edge of the woods, I had no shorts! Shit! Just then Quil came running up behind me. _I noticed when you ran off, you didn't have any shorts tied to you! You got a problem, huh?"_

"_Yea, I was pretty pissed and I guess I didn't think about that when I phased. How am I going to get down the street to my house, and walk in if my mom is still waiting up for me?"_

"_You can have mine. I can phase right at my back door, and no one will be awake in my house."_

"_Thanks, bro. I owe you!" _I phased back to human form, and untied Quil's shorts from his back leg. I patted him on the back and he took off.

I slipped the shorts on and was thankful they were basketball shorts with an elastic waist. I was skinnier than Quil, and I knew if they were jeans, they would have fallen off! I laughed to myself about that as I trotted toward home.

Mom was waiting up for me when I got home. I had a feeling she might be. I walked in and plopped down in the chair.

"Feel better?" she asked.

"Not really, but at least I ran some of the anger out," I told her.

"Embry I know you have a right to be angry. Go ahead! Get it out! But I hope that once you calm down, you can at least think about hearing why he stayed away. He never even knew he had a son! He just found today that you existed! Can you imagine how that must feel for him? I hope you will decide to meet him, Embry. Maybe not right now, but someday. But I want you to understand that I _need _to see him. I'm going to meet him tomorrow afternoon at a diner that's halfway between here and Port Angeles. I've heard his story, but I want to look into his eyes as he talks and understand what he really went through, you know? I have to do this."

I hung my head and closed my eyes. Mom took my hand and said, "Embry, I know this is hard. All those years of you wondering who your father was . . . begging me to tell you. Now he's here! You can meet him. Talk to him. Ask him all of those questions."

I leaned forward and put my head in my hands. "God, Mom. This is so hard. This is just so fucking hard!"

Mom got off of the couch and kneeled down on the floor in front of me. She pulled me into her arms and held me while I cried. I couldn't hold it back any longer. Years and years of wanting to know who my father was, wanting to see him and talk to him. All that loneliness, and anger and resentment. It all came pouring out.

"Oh Embry. It's alright. I love you, honey. I love you so much," she crooned to me as I cried. She rubbed my back like she used to do when I was little and I would cry. I finally sat up and wiped my face. She looked at me and I said, "I'm sorry, Mom."

Her face was red from crying, too. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Embry. You're right. This is hard. But I want you to know that I brought you into this world because I loved you from the day I found out I was pregnant with you. When Josh left, I thought my life was over. Then, I found out that he left a piece of himself behind, in you. I know that it hasn't been the easiest life for you. I'm sorry for that. But I wouldn't change a thing. I love you, Embry, and I am thankful everyday that I have you." New tears rolled down her cheeks.

I smiled and said, "Geez, Mom, now you'll start me crying all over again." She laughed and hugged me. "Thanks, Mom, for having me, for taking care of me, for putting up with me." She let go and smiled. "I wouldn't have you any other way. Even if you are a big pain in the butt!" I laughed.

She got up and sat back on the couch. "Look, honey. I'm going to see Josh tomorrow, OK? And when I come home, we'll sit and talk and I'll let you know what I think. And if you feel that you want to meet him, we'll arrange it. If you aren't ready, that's fine. He'll wait. OK?"

I nodded and she her hand on my arm. "Embry, this has to be your decision. Think about it, and I'll support you either way." She stood up and said, "It's been a rough night. I'm going to bed. Are you OK?"

I stood up and said, "Yea, I'm OK. Good night."

She smiled at me and said, "Good night." She turned and made her way down the hall to her room. I made sure the front door was locked and turned off the lights then walked down the tiny hall to my room.

I walked in and closed the door. I wasn't sure if I could really sleep even though I was so tired. I sat down on the bed leaned forward and put my head in my hands. _My father. He's alive. He wants to meet me. _I kept trying to hold onto the anger that I had for the guy. _He fucked my mom and dumped her! How could he do something like that, and yet, she's all excited about seeing him? What the hell is wrong with her?_ I just didn't get it. And what he did to Sam and his mom. _Oh God, Sam!_ I put my head up and thought about angry Sam would be when he heard that this guy was alive and living so close. He might even want to kill him! I closed my eyes and shook my head. All of a sudden, my life just got a lot more complicated.

I laid back and heard something crunch. I sat up and noticed something on my pillow. It was a note. I reached up behind me and turned on the little lamp that I had hanging on the wall by the bed. I picked it up and read it:

_Embry,_

_Please remember how much I love you. _

_Leah_

_Did she know? Did Mom tell her before she told me? _I reached back and turned the light off then laid back onto my bed and held the note to my chest. I closed my eyes and thought about Leah. _Her smile, her laugh. The way she kissed me and how it felt to hold her in my arms. _Thinking about Leah always made me feel better. I finally gave into the exhaustion and let sleep take me.

In the morning, Mom did something she never did: she called in sick to work! I'm sure her boss was shocked! Even when she was sick, she went to work. Then she called the school and told them I was sick and couldn't come in today. She smiled as she hung up the phone. "Wow, I feel like such a rebel!" I laughed. "So, who wants pancakes?" she asked with a smile.

I was actually glad that Mom called the school for me. I really didn't think I could concentrate at school with everything that was swimming around inside my head. I had already showered and dressed and I was sitting at the kitchen table watching Mom go crazy in the kitchen.

She outdid herself. She made pancakes and sausage, and scrambled eggs. We sat down to our feast and talked about all kinds of things. Everything but . . . _him._ She asked me to tell her about working on cars, so I did. "I really love it, Mom. To take something that doesn't work and figure out how to fix it . . . it's really cool. And I like working with Jake, you know. We have all these plans for our own shop. We have this list that we keep. And when we think of something we have to have in our shop, we say, 'Add it to the list!' and one of us pulls out the list and writes it down. It's getting kind of long. I don't know how we'll really get everything on that list!"

She smiled and took a sip of coffee. "It's really good to see you so excited about something. I'm glad, Embry. It sounds like you and Jake have a good plan."

"Yea, I just hope we really get a chance to do everything we have planned."

"You will. You two are determined, I can tell." She scooted her chair back and said, "I need to get this kitchen cleaned up and get into the shower." She picked up some dishes and put them in the sink.

"I'll help you," I said. We worked together and got everything cleaned up in no time. Mom thanked me and gave me a hug.

"What time are you leaving?" I asked her. She looked at me and said, "Eleven."

I nodded and then asked her, "Did you tell Leah last night about . . . all of this?"

She looked at me suspiciously and said, "Why?"

"Well, I found this note on my pillow from her. All it said was 'Please remember how much I love you.' I just thought maybe, she knew about this and she was trying to, I don't know, comfort me or something. It was just weird."

Just then my phone rang. As I reached into my pocket to answer it, mom left to get into the shower. "Hello?"

"Hey, dude." It was Jake. "You OK?"

"Uh yea, I guess. What's up?"

"You didn't go to school. You sick or something?" he asked me.

"Not really. And how did you know I didn't go to school? You checking up on me now?"

He laughed and said, "Yea, I'm keeping tabs on you. No, Quil called and asked me for a ride. You forgot to call him, dumb ass! He knew he didn't have time to run there, so he called and got my ass out of bed!"

I smacked my forehead. "Shit, I did forget. Sorry, dude. I'll call him after school."

"So, if you're not sick, why did you stay home? You, um, upset about something?"

_What should I tell him? He's my best friend, I tell him everything. Did Quil say something to him? _"Well, uh, it's kind of a long story. Can I come over now and tell you? You busy?"

"Um, no. Come on over, I guess" he said hesitantly. "See ya." He hung up. I put my phone back into my pocket and thought Jake sounded kind of weird. _Why did I have that feeling about everyone all of a sudden?_

I jotted a note to Mom telling her I was heading over to Jake's. I added a PS: "I hope everything goes OK today." I got up and headed outside. I really did hope everything went OK for her. She deserved some happiness. I just didn't trust that she would find it in him.


	30. Chapter 30

CHAPTER 30

I walked into the garage to find Jake working on a new truck. He had the hood up and was tinkering with something. "Hey, dude! What's wrong with the truck?"

He pulled his head out from under the hood and said, "Guy says it keeps stalling on him. I just popped the hood to take a look. Haven't found anything yet." He walked over to the bench and sat down on one of the stools. I peeked at the engine. All of a sudden I wanted to start digging in there and find the problem. I loved that kind of a challenge.

"So, what's up, Embry? What did you want to tell me?" Jake asked.

I dragged myself away from the engine to walk over and sit beside him on the other stool. I didn't really know how to start. I guess I should just jump right in. "I found out last night that my dad is alive and he's living in Port Angeles." I looked over at Jake. He didn't seem very surprised. In fact, he didn't see surprised at all! He just sat there, staring at the floor.

"Jake? Did you hear what I just said? My dad lives less than an hour away!"

He took a deep breath and looked at me and said, "I know." _What? He knows! _

"Are you fucking kidding me, man? How do you know?"

He took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. He stood up and started pacing. "Jake! Talk to me, bro. You're freaking me out here!"

He stopped and looked at me and said, "You remember yesterday when I came into the garage and you asked me if I was pissed about something?"

"Yea. I didn't believe you were pissed at Bella. You're NEVER pissed at Bella."

He smiled quickly, then it was gone. "Well, that was a lie. I was pissed because . . ." he stopped. "God, this is so hard," he muttered.

"Damnit, Jake! Just tell me!" I yelled at him.

"I took Leah to see him, OK? We went to see your dad in Port Angeles."

"WHAT! ?" I exploded . "You and Leah . . . went to see him? Why? How did you know where he lived? What the fuck is going on here, Jake?" _Jake and Leah? The two closest people in the world to me? Why would they do that to me?_

"Leah got this great idea to ask Charlie to find your dad. She wanted to find him for you and Sam. So you can make you your peace with him, or whatever. Look Embry, her heart is in the right place, but I told her this was a bad idea. Anyway, Charlie called and told her that he found him, and she needed a ride to Forks. I had no idea why I was taking her town. She didn't tell me until we were on the way. And that's only because I thought I was taking her to a doctor to see if she was pregnant!"

_Pregnant? _"What? Why would you think she was pregnant?" I asked.

"Well, I have seen your thoughts, dude! I know you two are hot and heavy. She comes to me, telling me it's really important that she goes to Forks, but she can't tell me why. What else am I supposed to think? She told me she wasn't pregnant, by the way."

I put hand up to my face and wipe my eyes. "Jake, just tell me why you went to see him."

"Well, Charlie gave us his address, and we went back out to the car, and Leah tells me she HAS to go and talk to him. I know how stubborn she is, Em! If I didn't take her, I knew she'd find some other way to get there. I sure as hell wasn't going to let her go alone." I nodded. _He was right. She is stubborn._ "Go on," I said.

"So, we drive to Port Angeles and find his house. He didn't want to let us in at first, but I let him know we were coming in whether he wanted us to or not. Then . . . he told us everything, Em. Why he left, where he went. It's a weird story, dude. I really don't think I should be the one to tell you. You need to hear it from him."

"God! I hate everyone knowing, but me! Mom, you and Leah. I feel like you're all conspiring against me or something!" I got up and walked out the garage door to stand in the yard. _Everyone I loved! What the hell was happening to me?_

Jake walked outside to stand beside me. "Look, Embry. We aren't 'conspiring against you.' We all love you, man. But this is something I don't think you can understand unless you hear it from him. To see him tell it. Dude. It was really something. I was so pissed when I walked in there. I wanted to beat the shit out of him. But then, he started talking, and telling us everything, and . . . well, I don't know. I didn't want to believe it, but I found myself feeling kind of sorry for him."

_I couldn't believe what I just heard! _I looked over at him and said, "What? You felt sorry for the guy? Are you fucking kidding me, Jake?"

"No, I'm not! That's why you need to hear it from him. Look, I told Leah not to tell you. I told her that I was afraid that it wasn't worth the pain it would bring to you and to Sam. But, he really got to her, Em. She even gave him pictures of you and Sam from the wedding, and he hugged her when we left. I knew then she was going to tell you."

"Yea, right. SHE didn't tell me. My mom did."

"Your mom? Oh, she must have told her first," Jake said.

I looked at him. "My mom just said that she heard from my dad toda . . . oh. I guess Leah told her not to tell me." I hung my head. _Leah. The note. Now I get it. Why? God, this hurt! Why would she do this to me? _I balled my hands into fists. "God, I can't take this, Jake!" I yelled.

"I'm sorry, Embry. I really am. I should have stopped her. I should have tried harder to talk her out of doing this. I am so sorry, bro." He put his hand on my shoulder and I shrugged it off and walked a few steps.

I stood there just full of anger at Leah. "How could she do this to me, Jake? She says she loves me! How could she go behind my back and do this? And then tell my mom not to tell me?"

Jake walked up to me and said, "Embry, like I said, she thought she was doing something to help you, not hurt you. She _does _love you. Any idiot can see that! But, I don't know! Who can understand anything women do? It's not logical to us, but to her I'm sure it makes perfect sense!"

I looked over at him and laughed. He was right about that! "Yea, I guess. I just can't help feeling . . . betrayed somehow. You, too, you know? How could you not tell me yesterday? How could you keep this from me? I thought we told each other everything."

He hung his head and said, "I almost did tell you. I wanted to." He looked back up at me. "You're my best friend, Embry, my brother. I hated not saying anything. But I left it up to Leah to decide what to do, and I thought I would wait and let her tell you. I'm sorry, Em. I really am." He looked sorry. I knew he was. I could never stay mad at him. I reached out and pulled him in for a bro hug. "I know, Jake. I forgive you, bro." We hugged it out and pulled apart.

I could see unshed tears in Jake's eyes as he said, "Thanks, Em." I nodded. "Listen, if you decide you don't want to see him, I'll back you up, OK? I'm here for you either way, bro."

"Thanks, that means a lot." He smiled. I looked away and turned my gaze towards the road. My thoughts turned to Leah. I said softly,"I need her, Jake. I need her so much. What am I going to do?"

"Talk to her, bro. She loves you, she really does. And she didn't mean to hurt you. Maybe this will all work out, I don't know. But don't hate her, Embry. OK? Don't do that. You two belong together."

I smiled and looked at him, "Yea, I know. I just need some time, I guess. Mind if I take a look at that engine? I could really use a distraction right now."

"Hell yea! Come on, let's go." He slapped me on the back and we walked back to the garage to get lost in work.

Leah POV:

I woke up the next morning and just laid in bed. I couldn't bring myself to move. I know I just saw Embry last night, but all of a sudden I missed him so much! I was terrified that I would never be held in his arms again, or feel his lips on mine. I wanted him to be here, to hold me. I just wanted him to tell me that everything would be alright. I felt so horrible at what I had done. I should never have gone off to find Joshua without telling Embry first. _What was I thinking?_

I heard the phone ring, but I ignored it. I looked at the clock and realized that Mom was at work and Seth was at school. It was late! After ten. The phone rang again, but I ignored it. Finally, after the third time, I realized that maybe it was important and I should answer it. I picked it up and said, "Hello?"

"Leah! Finally!" It was Jake.

"Jake? What's wrong?" Like I had to ask. I knew.

"Embry is in the garage working. He didn't go to school today. His mom told him last night about his dad. She didn't tell him that you told him, but I told him the truth, Leah. I told him that I took you to see his dad."

I closed my eyes and almost dropped the phone. "Leah? Leah! Are you still there?" Jake called.

"Yes, Jake. He hates me now, doesn't he?" The tears were coming fast.

"No, Leah, I don't think he does. He's angry, and hurt. But I tried to let him know why you did it. I told him your heart was in the right place. Leah, he loves you. I told him not to hate you because you two belong together. I believe that and I know Embry does, too."

"I hope so. I love him so much," I said softly.

"Listen, I didn't tell him what his dad told us. Neither did his mom. He wasn't happy about that, but after hearing his dad tell us, I really believe Embry needs to hear it from him. I also told him I would back him up if he decides he doesn't want to see him. Embry is my best friend, Leah. I will be there for him either way."

"I know, Jake. I'm glad he has you."

"Well, whatever. I gotta go. I just wanted to give you a heads-up. Are you OK?"

"Not really. I need to see Embry, but I'm afraid."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he shouted into the phone. I had to hold the phone out a little as he went on, "That's not the Leah Clearwater I know! Quit feeling sorry for yourself and suck it up! You started this whole mess. He needs you, Leah. You have to be strong for him."

I smiled. "Thanks, Jake. I needed that."

"OK. Talk to you later," he said then he hung up. I put the phone down and decided Jake was right. I needed to suck it up and be strong for Embry. I crawled out of bed and headed for the shower.

Embry POV:

Jake and I started working on the truck, but as much as I wanted to, I couldn't get Leah out of my mind. Jake had gone in the house to use the bathroom and get us something to drink. I stopped working and sat down on the stool. I knew in her own weird way, she was trying to help. Just like the DNA tests. I smiled as I remembered that. She was going to do them whether I wanted her to or not. She _was _stubborn! But, I loved her. I really did. I couldn't hate her. I could be pissed at her, but I needed her way too much to ever hate her. I needed her right now.

I stood up to go tell Jake when he came back into the garage with two Mt. Dews in his hand. He held one out to me so I took it and told him, "Hey, I was just coming to find you. I can't stop thinking about Leah. I think I need to see her."

Jake smiled and said, "Um, well, I just called her to give her a heads up that I told you the truth about us going to see your dad. She's pretty sure that you hate her, and I told her to quit feeling sorry for herself and suck it up! I told her she needs to be strong for you."

I shook my head. "I don't hate her. She should know that."

"Then go tell her, dude! Go! Get out of here! I'm pretty sick of all this drama. I need a fucking break!" Jake grinned at me.

I laughed and took off for my truck. All of a sudden, I couldn't get to her fast enough.

Leah POV:

I had just gotten out of the shower and made my way to my room. I had a towel wrapped around me when I thought I heard someone knocking at the door. Not just knocking, pounding! I looked out the window and saw Embry's truck. My eyes grew wide in amazement! _He's here?_ I heard him yell, "Leah? Are you home? I need to see you, baby!"

_Baby? He didn't hate me! _Without thinking, I flew down the stairs to the door. I unlocked it and opened it and practically jumped into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on. He laughed and moved inside and closed the door. "Oh Embry, please don't hate me!" I mumbled into his chest.

He tried to pry me away from him to say, "Leah, look at me." I finally backed up enough to see his face. "Baby, I don't hate you. OK? I was pretty pissed, and I still am, but I need you way too much, Leah." Then his lips came down on mine and the fire started. He took from me and I took from him. Our mouths devoured each other and his hands were running up and down the towel I was wearing. He finally reached down and scooped my legs up so he was carrying me. I broke away from his mouth and smiled at him. He carried me up to my room and closed the door. He set me on my feet in front of my bed, and he stepped back just a little kick his shoes off. I reached out and pulled his t-shirt over his head and threw it on the floor. He smiled at me and undid the button and zipper on his shorts and slid them and his boxers down and stepped out. I smiled and undid the towel and let it fall to the floor. I looked into his eyes and could see the desire there that I knew was just for me. His hands were on my hips and I put mine on his chest. He bent down and whispered, "I love you, Leah. I need you, right now." I nodded and met his lips with mine.

He pushed me back to sit on the bed and I scooted back to lay down and he came down beside me. We kissed and let our hands roam everywhere. He knew just where to touch to bring me to the edge of insanity, and I was learning where to touch him to do the same. I couldn't get enough of him! Before I knew it, he was hovering over me and sliding inside me. I held onto him tight and wrapped my legs around him to ride that feeling until I shook and he shuddered. It was so incredible! I kept holding onto him to try and keep that feeling a little longer. I didn't want to go back to the real world.

Finally I relaxed and he rolled over to lay beside me. We were facing each other and he smiled. "Thank you opening the door, baby. The towel was a nice touch."

I laughed and said, "You know I had no idea you were coming over. I thought you might never want to see me again."

He leaned in and kissed me very softly on the lips. "That will never happen, Leah. I might get pissed once in awhile, but I never want to let you go. Do you get that? I love you more than anything in this world. You are mine, forever, Leah."

I smiled. "I love you, too, Embry. I realized last night how intense that feeling is. I laid in your bed last night and put my head on your pillow just to smell you. I even pulled one of your t-shirts on and wore it." He smiled at that. "It made me feel like I had your arms around me. I love you, too, more than anything in this world. I will always be here for you, Embry. Always." I leaned forward and kissed him.

We lay there wrapped up in each other for a long while. We talked a little and kissed a little. His ran his hand slowly along the side of my body and I had mine in his hair. We avoided talking about what I did. There would time for that later. Right now, was our time to just be with each other. To love each other.

Our kissing picked up in intensity and we made love again. It was so beautiful. Like we were made to be together and share this. When it was over, we lay together trying to catch our breath. Embry reached out and wiped the tears from my face. I didn't even know I was crying! He smiled and I smiled back. This moment was perfect. One I would always remember.


	31. Chapter 31

CHAPTER 31

Embry POV:

Leah and I were sitting outside on the deck. We knew we had to talk, but neither of us knew where to start. Finally, she took my hand, gripped it tight and she said, "Embry, I am so sorry. I owe you an apology for jumping into this without talking to you first. I seem to have a habit of doing that," she said with a shy smile. I smiled back. I knew she was talking about the DNA tests. "But, you have to know, I did this with the best intentions. I really felt that deep down, if you had the chance, you would want to meet your father and get answers to all of the questions that have plagued you all your life! And, I have to say, Embry, I'm glad I met him. I'm glad I talked to him. I understand so much better now. But I am sorry. I should have asked you first. I never, never, meant to hurt you."

I squeezed her hand and said, "I know that, Leah. But, damnit! I just wish you would have told me! It was such a shock, you know? I mean, I always knew he could still be out there somewhere, but when my mom told me that she had talked to him and she was going to see him today . . . well, it was a lot to take in." I looked at her and said softly, "Why didn't you tell me, Leah? Why did you tell my mom, but not me?"

"I'm sorry, Embry. I should have. I was just . . . so afraid. I laid there in your bed last night, and I actually realized then what I had done. Your parents were talking on the phone because I had given your mom his phone number! I was terrified that you would never want to see me again. I just . . . I don't know." She hung her head and for a moment then she looked at me and said, "But Embry, you should have seen your mom after she hung up. Her eyes were shining and she was so excited. I know you're mad, but after I saw that, I knew I did the right thing for her. She needs to see him, and whether you want to know it or not, he needs to see her. I wonder how their meeting is going."

I had looked at the clock on the way outside, and I realized that they should be at the diner right now meeting for the first time in 18 years. I put my head down and really tried to wrap my head around that. My parents, BOTH of them, were meeting right now. I looked at Leah and said, "Yea, I get that. I hope it's OK. For her, you know? I just don't want her to get her hopes up that something can happen between them, and then have him dump her again. Then I would have to kill him."

Leah smiled and nodded. She squeezed my hand. "Do you want to meet him, Embry?"

I took a deep breath and looked out over the back yard. _Did I want to meet him?_ "Part of me really does. That little boy inside that always wanted his dad to take him fishing and stuff wants to meet him. But, me, now? I don't know. I'm afraid I would smash my fist into his face and ask questions later." She still had a hold of my hand and she was rubbing her thumb back and forth. It was soothing, but distracting at the same time.

"I get that, Embry. Maybe you just need to wait a little to decide," she said. I looked over at her and said, "Yea, I guess there's no rush."

We were quiet for awhile and then she looked at me and asked, "What about Sam? I'm afraid he will hear it through the grapevine, or 'wolf network' or whatever. What if Jake lets it slip? I'm so scared, Embry. Sam will be furious, I know he will."

"I know, Leah. I was angry last night when my mom first told me. I couldn't help it – I had to phase and run. Quil and Jared were out and they know. I told them both to keep it from Sam. They're scared enough of him, they won't tell!" She smiled at that. "Sam is full of rage for the guy, and I can understand that, can't you?" She nodded. "But, you know, the night before his wedding, we talked about it. He decided that night we would both put this behind us and let go of it and not let it make us into bitter people. He said that if it wasn't for our dad, we wouldn't have each other. That made me pretty happy. He even told me he loved me," I said with a shy smile.

Her face lit up and she said, "You never told me that! Wow, Embry!"

"Yea, I know. Cool, huh? Anyway, he talked that night about his mom and how she was so hurt. That's not going to be easy for Sam to forgive, you know? I don't know, Leah. I guess we need to tell him, but don't expect him to be happy about it."

"I don't. I just . . . don't want him . . . to hate me," I said holding back tears. I closed my eyes tight to try and keep them in. I was sick of crying! "We finally got past all that imprinting shit, and I feel like we were becoming friends. Now I fucked that up, Embry!"

He squeezed my hand and said, "Leah! Sure he'll be pissed. You know that. But I think he'll come around and realize that you did it for a good reason, not just too cause him pain. He still cares about you Leah. I think, in a way, you will always be special to him, as much as it kills me to say that."

She wiped her face and smiled at me. "I like that you're a little jealous."

"You do, huh? Well, I hate it actually," I said with a smile. "He's my brother! It's just . . . weird, I guess. But I'm learning to live with it. You, Jake, my mom and Sam and Emily are the most important people in my life, Leah. I don't ever want to lose any of you. And I will do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn't happen. I mean that."

"Thank you. Will you go with me to tell him? Will you protect me?" she asked with a hopeful smile.

I had to laugh. She looked so cute! "Yes, I will go with you, and I will TRY to protect you. Come here, baby." I held my arms open and she got up and moved over to sit on my lap. She laid her head on my shoulder and let me hold her. "It will be OK. Maybe not for awhile, but eventually, it will all work out."

We finally made it to the truck to drive over to Sam and Emily's. Before I could start the engine, my mom called. She sounded so excited!"Oh Embry, I can't tell you how good I feel. To see him again, and talk to him. Something I've been dreaming of every night for over 18 years. I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have said that."

"No, Mom, it's OK. I get it. You loved the guy," I said. Leah had her head next to mine trying to listen, too.

"I'm on my way home right now. Where are you?" she asked.

"I'm at Leah's. We were just leaving to go and talk to Sam. We didn't want him to accidentally hear something from someone else," I told her.

"Oh, you told Leah?"

I laughed at that. "You can quit the acting job, Mom. I know that Jake took Leah to see him yesterday, and she was the one that gave you his phone number. Jake and Leah came clean today about it."

"Oh, good. She was so terrified when I took her home last night, honey. Please don't be mad at her. She loves you so much, and she was trying to do a good thing. It was a good thing for me. Are you two OK?"

I smiled at Leah and said, "Yea, Mom. We're good. Don't worry about that." Leah smiled at me and I leaned over and kissed her.

"Good. Now, hand her the phone. I want to talk to her." I held the phone out to Leah and she put it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi, honey. I just wanted to thank you again for finding Josh. When I saw him today, it was like time stood still. I walked right into his arms and he held me, Leah. We sat and talked and he told me everything. He has led such a tortured life. I don't know if the boys will ever understand that, but I do. He told me he wants to see me again. He kissed me, too. It's still there, Leah. Whatever this imprinting thing is, it is strong. I felt the same as I did the first time he kissed me. It was amazing."

"I'm so glad it went well. I've been thinking about you all afternoon!" Leah said.

"Look, I'm driving, so I better go. Maybe we can talk after I get home, OK? You and Embry both."

"Yea, sure. We'll see you later tonight. Bye." She closed the phone and handed it to me. "What was all that about?" I asked.

"Girl talk," she said with smile. I rolled my eyes. "Things went well, Embry. She wants to talk later."

I nodded and started the truck and drove the short distance to Sam's. I parked and turned off the engine, and we both just sat there and looked at each other. It was like we were daring the other to go first. Finally I smiled at her and she smiled back. I pulled her over to me and kissed her. "It'll be OK, Leah. It might get ugly, but it will be OK."

"I hope so," she said.

"Come on, chicken little," I said to her as I opened the door to the truck and pulled her out my side. I closed the door and took her hand in mine and we walked up the steps onto the front porch. The door was closed as it was cool and rainy today. I looked at her and took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come on in!" we heard Emily call out. I opened the door and we walked in.

"Something smells good," I said to Emily as we walked into the kitchen. "What is it?"

"Apple pies," Emily answered. "We picked apples this morning, so I couldn't resist. What are you two up to today? Why aren't you in school, Embry? Playing hooky?"

I looked at Leah and she looked at me.

"Alright, what's up? This looks serious," Emily said as she washed her hands.

"Um, is Sam here? We kind of need to talk to him. It's pretty important," I said.

She nodded and dried her hands. "He's not here right now. We are going to paint the baby's room and he went to get some supplies. He should be home in a little bit. You want to wait?"

"Yea, sure," I answered. "And I'm not playing hooky. My mom actually called me in sick today, so there." I said with a smile.

"You don't look sick to me," she said with a grin. "But you do need a haircut. I'm getting my scissors." She turned and opened a drawer and took out her hair cutting scissors. "I'll go grab the spray bottle and comb. Be right back." I smiled. _Leave it to Emily to know how to fill the time. She can tell I'm nervous about talking to Sam, and she's trying to help. _

She came back and I carried a chair out to the porch. Leah followed us and took her place on the porch swing. Emily sprayed me down and started combing and cutting. "So, this is big, huh? What you need to see Sam about? You seem pretty nervous. Both of you." I didn't answer her.

Leah said, "Yea, it is. And we're pretty sure he won't be happy with what we have to tell him."

Emily quit cutting and she looked at Leah and said, "You're pregnant, aren't you?" Leah broke out laughing right away.

"What is it with everyone thinking I'm pregnant?" Leah asked. "I asked Jake for a ride to Forks and told him it was important, and he thinks he's taking me to the doctor to see if I'm pregnant!" Emily and I were laughing now.

"Well, baby, they know you can't keep your hands off of me. I mean, look at me?" I said teasingly. Emily squirted me in the face with the water bottle. "Thanks, Em," I said as I wiped my face. Of course she and Leah thought it was funny!

Emily finished my haircut and handed me the mirror. "OK, handsome, what do you think?"

"Looks great, as usual," I said as I handed her the mirror. I stood up and paid her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, sis," I said with a smile.

She looked at me and gave me a slow smile. "Sis, huh? I kind of like that," she said. I grabbed the broom and swept the hair off of the porch while she put her scissors and things away. I put the broom back against the wall and carried the chair back inside to the table while Leah followed. That's when Sam came in.

"Hey, bro! What's up? Getting all pretty, are you?" he called out as he walked in carrying a can of paint and a bag of supplies. "Hey, Leah!" He kept walking down the hall to put the things in the baby's room.

"Yep, you know me. Gotta stay looking good for my woman," I called to him as I put my arm around Leah's shoulder. I looked over at her and I thought she looked like she was going to puke at any minute! I pulled her to me and whispered, "Chill out, babe! Don't hurl on me, OK?" That made her smile.

"You need help carrying anything?" I asked him as he came back out into the kitchen.

"Nope, that was it. Might need help painting though. You up for it?" he asked me.

"Yea, sure. I can run a paint roller," I assured him.

He walked into the kitchen and pulled Emily to him for a kiss. Then another, and another. She smiled at him and asked, "How did you know to come home right when the pies were coming out of the oven?"

"I could smell them all the way from town! Man, I can't wait to take that first bite," he said. He let her go so she could open the oven door and take the pies out. He walked back over to us and said, "So, what's up with you two?" Then he gave me a look. "Aren't you supposed to be at school?"

"Mom called in for me, it's OK. Um, we actually came here to talk to you about something. It's pretty important. Can we sit down?" I asked.

He shrugged and pulled out a chair and sat down. Leah and I did the same. Then we just sat there, saying nothing. Sam looked at us, back and forth and finally said, "So, talk!"

I started to say something just as Leah said, "Sam, I did something stupid and I don't want you to hate me, OK?"

He looked at her and said, "Oh God, Leah. You're pregnant aren't you?" Emily lost it and started laughing behind Sam. He looked back at her and said, "What's so funny?"

Leah and I were laughing, too, and she said, "Because you're the third person that's asked me that! NO, I'M NOT PREGNANT!"

"OK, so you're not pregnant. Then what did you do that you're terrified to tell me?" Sam asked.

Leah took a deep breath and grabbed my hand under the table. "I went to see Charlie and asked him if he could help me find . . . your dad."

"You what? Are you serious?" He looked at me and when he realized I wasn't joking, he got angry. "Why would do something so fucking stupid?" he yelled.

"Sam, please try really hard to listen first and yell later, OK?" I asked him. He glared at me then nodded. Emily had come over and sat down beside Sam.

"Charlie did a little digging and he found him, Sam. Joshua is alive and living in Port Angeles. Sam, please! Just let me talk!" she said as she could see the anger building. He had his hands curled into fists and I was afraid he might phase any minute.

"You know, Leah, maybe this isn't a good idea. He's not ready to hear this," I said quickly.

"Shut up, Embry! I'm sure you already know all about it, so I need to know too. Talk, Leah!" he said roughly.

"Jake took me there to see him. We went to his house and he told us what happened and why he left. But, I won't tell you that. You need to hear it from him. He wants to see you. He really misses you. He never stopped loving you, Sam. Never. "

He couldn't take it anymore. "Are you fucking kidding me with this shit? He never stopped loving me? What a fucking liar!" he screamed as he pushed the chair back so hard it fell over and he stalked out of the house. I looked at Leah and Emily and said, "I'll go after him." I got up and headed out the door. I thought maybe he had phased and run like I did. But he didn't. He was standing just off the front porch in the yard. He had his hands on his hips and his head down. I stood on the porch for a minute trying to decide if I should stay here and let him cool down, or if he needed me to talk. I heard him say, "Why, Embry? Why would she do this? What the hell was she thinking?"

I walked down the steps to stand beside him. There were tears on his face! Man, I'm not used to that. Sam was not only my big brother, he was the Alpha of our pack. We were used to seeing him be strong and invincible. Not showing emotion like this. "I don't know, I guess she did it for me. So I could meet him. And for you. Since she let go of the anger she had when you imprinted, she has been so happy. She is so glad that you and Emily are a part of her life. I suppose she thinks maybe you can do that with your dad. You know, make your peace or some shit. I don't know. All I know is that she didn't do it to hurt us. She was trying to help."

He looked at me and said, "Well, it hurts. It hurts like hell, Embry. To know he's been that close and he never . . . Damnit!" He squeezed his eyes shut and wiped them with his hand.

"They didn't tell me anything more than what they told you. But, my mom went to see him today. And, apparently, it went pretty well, according to her. I know that's probably hard for you to hear, you know, because of your mom . . ."

He looked at me then and said, "I know they had something, or you wouldn't be here, bro. Whatever."

"Look, Sam. My mom wants me to meet him. And, I'm thinking about it." I looked over at him. "Is that OK with you? I don't want you to be mad at me."

"Hey, that's up to you. That has nothing to do with me!" He faced me and put his hand on my shoulder. "Embry, I won't be mad at you for that. You have a right to know who your dad is. I'm just sorry he has to be a fucking asshole."

He dropped hi s arm and turned to go sit on the porch steps. I walked over and sat beside him. "I know you're hurt, Sam. This fucking sucks! I get that. But, maybe you should talk to him. I don't know. Jake and Leah both say that he had a really good reason why he did what he did, that we should see him and let him tell us. I trust them both, and if they tell me that, then I think I should at least listen to the guy then make up my mind. Maybe you should, too. I know this is painful for you. Geez, Sam, I'm hurting for you! You're my brother, dude. I would die for you! But, I guess, when I go through this, I would like to have you there with me. Just think about it, OK?"

He sat there quiet for awhile, staring out at the trees. I just waited. Finally he looked at me and said, "Look, I don't know what to do. I need some time to think about whether I want to see him or not. I'm still afraid I might smash his fucking face in. Give me some time, OK?" I nodded and said, "Fair enough. You got it."

He stood up and said, "Come on, let's go back in." I stood up and we looked at each other. He reached out and pulled me into a hug then pushed me away. "If I do decide to do this, we do it together. OK?"

"Yep. I'll be there." He smiled big and put his arm around my neck and dragged me in the house.

I could see surprise in Leah's eyes as we walked through the door smiling and laughing. Sam let me go as we got to the table where the girls were still sitting. Leah stood up and walked over to face Sam.

"Sam? Please tell me that you don't hate me. You can be mad at me, but don't hate me, OK?"

He smiled at her and said, "Oh, I'm pissed as hell, Leah. Can't help that. But I don't hate you. I could never hate you." He pulled her to him and hugged her. I had to look away. I knew there was nothing between them for me to feel threatened by, but I still had a hard time with it. He let her go and said, "Can you do me a favor, Leah? The next time you want to 'help' me, could you ask first?"

She smiled and said, "Yea. I'll do that."

Emily asked, "So, does anyone want to try this pie?"

"Hell, yes! Cut the pie, woman! I need some pie," Sam yelled with a grin. She smiled and said, "OK, OK, I'm going!" as she walked around the other side of the counter to get plates and a knife. Leah walked over to help. I looked at Sam and he winked at me. I smiled. _Yea, everything would be OK._

Leah POV:

We had stayed with Sam and Emily for dinner. It was nice spending time just the four of us, and not the whole pack. We left there and drove to Embry's house. We got out and he took my hand and led me up the steps to his house. He opened the door and let me go in and he followed. Angie was sitting on the couch looking at a magazine. She looked up as we walked in. "Hey, kids! How did it go? I see you're all in one piece, and you got your hair cut! Looks good."

Embry smiled and said, "Yea, it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be." He plopped down in the chair and I sat down on the couch by his mom. "He's pretty upset, but he'll cool down. He said he needs some time to think about all of this. He doesn't know if he wants to see him or not."

Angie nodded. "Yea, I get that. What about you, son? Have you thought any more about meeting your dad?"

I looked over at Embry to see his expression. He was very calm, not angry at all. That was a good sign. He said, "I have thought about it. I think . . . I want to meet him. But I told Sam that I want him there with me. So, I might have to wait a little while for him to calm down."

Angie smiled so big and said, "I'm proud of you, Embry. I know this is tough, but I think you need to do it. And, he wants to see you, he really does. He showed me the pictures that Leah gave him. The one of you and Sam is awesome. He was very proud of his two handsome sons."

He rolled his eyes at that one. I smiled at him. "She called you handsome," I said and he laughed.

"Well, he is," Angie said with a smile. "I told Josh I would call him around eight. I'll tell him that you and Sam are thinking about meeting him. I think that will make him very happy."

"Yea, whatever." Embry got up to use the bathroom and after he left the room, I looked at Angie and said, "So, it went well today, didn't it? I told you he still cared about you. I could tell by the way he talked about you. And when I showed him your picture, wow!"

She practically giggled when she talked about him. She kept her voice down as she said, "It was just like the last 19 years didn't matter. Leah, when he kissed me, I thought I would melt right into the ground. It felt just the same as it did all those years ago. I told him today that I want to be with him in any way I can. He said he felt the same way."

I was so happy for her, I really was. I didn't know how Embry would deal with it, but I knew he would want her to be happy, too. Just then he came back out into the room so Angie picked up the phone and said, "I hope you two will excuse me. I have a phone call to make." She took the phone into her bedroom and closed the door.

I looked over at Embry and patted the couch. He sat down beside me and I snuggled up against him. I whispered in his ear, "How convenient. We have some time alone." Then I licked his earlobe.

He turned toward me and took me in his arms. "Are you saying you want to make out? I don't know, baby, I mean, I'm just not that kind of guy!" He smiled and I laughed. "Yes, you are," I said as I put my lips on his. We took advantage of the time alone, and made out. We tried very hard to keep it from getting out of hand, and we kept all of our clothes on, which wasn't easy. We finally broke apart and he got up and got us a can of pop and a bag of pretzels and came back to sit beside me. I turned on the TV just as his mom came out into the room.

"Really? Watching TV? You think I believe you were just watching TV?" she said with a grin.

"Oh please, Mom. You have to know that I can't keep Leah off me! She's an animal!" Embry said jokingly. I smacked his arm and said, "Look who's talking!" and he laughed.

Angie sat down and said to Embry. "Josh said he's really happy that you've decided to meet him. And that Sam is thinking about it. I hope Sam decides to do it. I think it would be really good for him."

Embry got real quiet then said, "Yea. But, I'll still support him even if he doesn't want to see him, Mom, and you have to be OK with that."

"I will. I understand. You and Sam are getting pretty close, aren't you?"

Embry smiled and said, "Yea, we are. It's pretty cool. I like having a big brother."

"I'm glad you have him," Angie said.

"Listen, you guys. I'm tired. I need to get home," I said. Embry nodded and stood up then put his hand out to help me up. I looked at Angie and told her I was glad she had a good day. Her face lit up as she replied, "Me, too!" I hugged her and then Embry and I walked outside to the truck.

We got in and Embry started it up and drove off toward my house. I was so happy that Sam and Embry didn't hate me for what I did. I knew Sam was upset, but I really felt like he would get past it and things would work out. "Hey, baby, you're pretty quiet over there."

I looked over at Embry and smiled. "Just glad that you and Sam don't hate me. I couldn't take that, you know."

He shook his head. "Leah, you kill me. You jump in and make trouble then hope that people don't hate you. Maybe you should try not jumping in next time, but taking some time to think about it first. Or maybe try asking that person if they would mind you doing something for them."

"I guess that would be a good idea, huh?" I said with a smile. "How did you get so smart?"

He pulled up to my house and shut off the truck. "Well, Sam asked me that the night before his wedding. I told him I had a smart girlfriend. Oh, and I said you were hot too!" He grinned at me.

"Hmmm, really?" I said as I slid across the seat toward him. "Well, I guess that answer deserves a reward." I smiled and then put my lips on his for a nice long, slow kiss. I pulled back and said, "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby." I smiled and slid back toward the door to get out. I opened the door and Embry said, "Wait! Here." I looked back to see him take his t-shirt off and hold it out to me.

"What's this for?" I asked as I took it.

"Put it on to sleep in tonight. You said it made you feel like I had my arms around you," he explained with a smile.

"Awww, that's so sweet. Thank you, I will." I leaned forward and kissed him again. And again. And again. "OK, I have to stop or I will never get out of this truck!" I got out and shut the door. "See you tomorrow," I said.

"You better, baby!" He started the truck and I turned to walk to the door. I opened it and went in and he drove away. I leaned back against the door and held the shirt up to my face. I inhaled his scent and smiled. I went upstairs and into my room and closed the door. I stripped my shirt and shorts off and slipped Embry's t-shirt over my head and pulled it down. I sat down on the edge the bed and wrapped my arms around myself. I closed my eyes and could feel Embry's arms holding me.


	32. Chapter 32

CHAPTER 32

Embry POV:

"So, you going to see him? Again?" Mom had just come into the living room. She was wearing new jeans, a nice shirt and new boots. _With heels? _She had been out every night this week.

"Uh, yea. I'm driving to Port Angeles, and Josh is taking me out to dinner," she answered as she was putting things in her purse. She looked up at me and asked, "Does that bother you?" She had gotten her hair cut, too, a couple of days ago. It was still past her shoulders, but she had some bangs now. It made her look even younger. I wasn't sure I liked that.

_Yea, kind of. But how could I tell her that? _"No, it's OK." I was lounging on the couch, supposedly studying for a trig test. I hated studying. I had the book open, but that was about it. I guess I would have to get Leah to kick my ass and make me do it. "Will you be home late again?"

She walked over and perched on the arm of the chair. "Embry, this does bother you, doesn't it? Talk to me, son."

I sighed. "Well, yea. I mean, I've never seen you date anyone before. I don't even know if this counts as dating, I mean, you're seeing my father! God, this is so weird."

She gave a soft laugh and said, "Yea, you're telling me! I know I promised not to push, but I think it would be easier for you if you would just meet him and talk to him. Are you any closer to that yet?"

"I don't know. I'm ready, I know that. I can't stand this anymore! You and Leah and Jake know everything about the guy, and you won't tell me anything! It's driving me crazy! But, I haven't wanted to bug Sam. I wanted him to make up his own mind."

"Well, I know you wanted Sam to be with you when you meet him, but if he doesn't want to, you may have to rethink that."

"Yea, I know."

"OK, well, I better get going. I don't want to be late." She stood up and put a kiss on my head. "I love you. See you later." _Is that perfume? When did she start wearing that?_

"OK. Be careful."

She smiled and called, "I will," as she walked out the door. _This is just too weird._

I threw my book down onto the floor. It's not like I'm really getting any studying done. Maybe I should go and talk to Sam. See if he is any closer to a decision. I was to the point where I needed to do this. And now! I had a feeling my mom might marry the guy before I even meet him!

I hauled my ass off of the couch and decided to run to Sam's. I needed to run off some aggravation. I tied my shoes and went out the door. I decided to run through the woods. It seemed strange to me now to run in human form. I was so used to running as a wolf. But, now I could run as a human just as fast, and not get tired and breathless. It was pretty awesome, really.

I came out of the woods and could see Sam's house. I jogged up to the front porch and went in through the open door. "Hey! Anyone here?" I hollered.

"Yea, bro, back here, in the baby's room!" Sam called back.

I made my way down the hall to the room they had chosen for the nursery. "Hey, I thought you were going to call me to help you paint," I said as I stepped into the room.

"Oh, I am. You can count on that!" Sam smiled. "I'm still doing the prep work." He was taping off around the windows with blue tape.

"It's so quiet. Where's Emily?" I asked.

"She went to her mom's for the afternoon. What's up with you? Where's Leah? I thought you two were attached at the hip or something," he said with a grin.

I was leaning against the door frame and crossed my arms in front of my chest. "Ha, look who's talking! She went shopping with her mom. She'll be back later this afternoon. You need some help with anything?"

"Yea, sure," he said as threw me a roll of blue tape. "Help me finish this window then maybe we can get to the painting."

We worked for awhile then I finally got up the courage to ask him, "Um, Sam? Have you thought anymore about seeing him? Our dad?"

He stopped working and didn't say anything right away. I sat there and held my breath, waiting for him to scream at me. He looked over at me and said, "Yea, I have. I talked to Emily about it just last night." He sat down on the floor and leaned back against the wall. I sat down and did the same on the wall behind me.

He went on, "Em thinks I should do it. She told me that I will never get past this unless I face him. I know she's right. But . . ." he stopped and looked at me. "I'm scared, bro. And if you tell any of the guys I said that, I'll kick your ass!" I smiled held my hands up. "I mean, I don't know if I can really do it. Face him. I loved my dad when I was little, Embry. He was good to me. That's why it hurt so bad when he left. And my mom loved him so much. And to watch her . . ." He put his head down.

"I know, Sam. But Emily is right. You have to face him. Find out why he left. I think whatever the reason is, it's got to be better knowing than not knowing. It's killing me, Sam. My mom goes to see him almost every day! Today she left and she was wearing new jeans and boots, with heels! And perfume! And she got her hair cut and now she looks like 10 years younger. I can't take it anymore. It's just . . . too fucking weird!"

I had my hand in my hair, my elbow propped on my knee. Sam looked over at me and laughed. "What? She's dating . . . my dad! Don't you think that's weird?"

"Hell yea!" he said with a laugh. I had to join in and laugh. "But, come on, Embry. I've seen your mom, dude. She is pretty hot."

I picked up the roll of tape and flung it at his head. His hand shot out and caught it. He pounced at me and had me in a headlock before I knew what hit me! We were throwing each other around wrestling when we heard, "What is going on in here?" We looked up to see Emily standing in the doorway with her arms crossed.

"I know this is the baby's room, but that doesn't mean you need to act like children," she scolded us. We looked at each other and burst out laughing. She rolled her eyes and laughed then walked away.

I shoved Sam off of me and sat up. "Now you got us in trouble," I said with a smile.

He smiled back. Then he surprised me by saying, "Let's do it, Embry. Let's get it over with and talk to him."

"Thanks, bro. This means a lot to me." I stood up and held out my hand. He took it and hauled himself up off of the floor. He put his arm around my neck and said, "Come on. Let's go make nice to the wife. Maybe she'll feed us!"

After Emily fed us some pie, we actually got around to painting the baby's room. Emily had picked out a nice soft green color. It was a small room, so it didn't take too long to cover all of the walls. Sam wanted to let this coat dry then we would do a second coat another day.

I helped him clean up then I left to go see Leah. She had called and told me she was home from her shopping trip. I ran home to clean up a little and change clothes. Then I picked up my truck keys and headed over to her house.

I knocked on the door and heard her call out, "Come in!" I walked in and she got up from the chair she was sitting in to put her arms around me and kiss me. "Hey, handsome. I missed you today," she said with a smile.

"Mmmm, I missed you, too," I said on her lips. I kissed her some more until I heard, "Hello? Brother in the room!" I laughed and let Leah go. I went to plop down next to Seth on the couch and put my arm around his shoulders. "You know, bro, we need to get you a girl."

He rolled his eyes and shrugged my arm off of him. I laughed at him and he said, "I can get my own girl, thank you. I got prospects."

"Really? You asked anyone out yet?" I asked.

"No," he said shyly.

"What's the problem? Come on, it isn't that hard. I'll teach you all I know, and before long, you'll have any girl you want."

"Embry!" Leah yelled.

"Oh, come on, Leah. I'm off the market, baby. The girls at school are going to get lonely! Seth here is perfect man to take my place."

Seth looked at me and said, "Yea, right. I'm such a spaz when it comes to girls. Like, I have this girl in my math class. She's really pretty, and kind of popular. I sit right beside her and she caught me looking at her yesterday. I just froze! I wanted to talk to her, but I just couldn't think of anything to say!"

"Oh, man. We've all been there. But listen, if she catches you looking at her again, just give a smile. Nothing too big, just a nice smile and a slight nod. Then look away. Let her look at you. When you get a chance to say something, just smile and say, 'Hey, What's up?' Something simple. You can't let them see your fear, dude. You need to look confident. Women love a confident guy."

"And this really used to work for you?" Leah asked.

"Oh yea, but this 101 stuff. I mean, you gotta work your way up, you know? It takes awhile to work up to the point where you can walk up to a babe and lean in and look her in the eye and say, 'You're really beautiful, you know? Want to go to a movie sometime?' That takes skill."

Leah rolled her eyes – again! – and said to Seth, "Little brother, don't listen to him. Just be yourself. You're cute. Some nice girl will notice that and want to spend time with you."

I looked at Seth and said, "Yea, but do you really want to wait around for a 'nice' girl, or do you want to have some fun first?"

Seth grinned and said, "I think I wanna have a little fun."

"That's my man!" I held up my hand for a high five and Seth slapped it. "Monday, at school? You and me, bro. You show me the girl, and I'll help you get her."

Seth nodded and Leah looked at me and said, "Whatever." Seth and I just laughed at her.

Seth stood up and said, "I'm running patrol tonight with Jared. See you guys later. Thanks, Embry."

"No problem, bro. See ya." Seth took off out the back door.

Leah just stared at me. "What? Come on, Leah. He's 14. It's time he kissed a few girls."

She shook her head and laughed. She stood up and came over to join me on the couch. "Well," she said, "kissing is fun." I put my arm around her and drew her to me. "Yes, it is," I said as I leaned forward to put my lips on hers. Leah sighed and leaned into me and I pulled her close. Our lips were moving in unison and our tongues were teasing each other. It was so amazing kissing Leah. I gave in to the fire as it spread through me. I longed for that feeling, every minute we spent apart. I put my hand into her hair. It was always so silky. I loved to feel it wrapped around my hand. My lips left hers and made a trail from her ear down her throat and onto her shoulder. She tipped her head back a little and whispered, "I love that." I smiled and nipped her shoulder with my teeth and she gasped. I had my hand under her shirt and was working it up to the hooks on her bra. I found them and it opened and I rubbed up and down her back then let my hand creep toward the front. Just then, I felt Leah's hand as it slid down my chest to rest on my zipper. _Oh man. _"Leah," I whispered. Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket. "Ignore it," I told her as I put my lips back on hers. She undid the button on my shorts and was getting to the zipper when my phone went off again.

She pulled away and said, "Just answer it. I'll wait." And then she smiled. _This better be pretty damn important!_

"Hello!" I shouted into the phone.

"Embry? You OK? You sound upset." _It was Mom._

"Uh, yea, Mom. I'm fine. What's up?" Leah laughed and put her lips on my neck and started kissing me.

"You called and left me a message a little while ago. I left my phone in my purse while we were at the restaurant, so I didn't hear it ring."

Leah was nipping at my earlobe and it was making me crazy! _Quick, think! What did you call Mom about? Oh man, I like that. _

"Embry? Can you hear me?"

"Um, yea. Oh, I wanted to tell you that I talked to Sam today and he said that he'll do it. He's ready to see our dad."

Leah stopped what she was doing and sat up and looked at me.

"That's great! Oh, Embry, I am so glad. Let me talk to Josh and see what we can arrange. I'll let you know tonight when I come home, OK?"

"Yea, that's good," I replied.

"I'll let you go. Bye, honey."

"Bye, Mom." I hung up and threw the phone onto the floor. "Where were we," I said as I made a grab for Leah. She pushed me back and said, "Sam agreed to see him? Your dad? Really?"

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. "Really, Leah? You want to talk about this right now? You had your hand on my fucking zipper, Leah. I can't even THINK right now! Come on!"

She laughed and said, "Oh, yea, sorry. Well, come with me and I'll see what I can do about that." She stood up and held out her hand. I took it and she led me up to her room where she definitely finished what she started.

Much later, I was at home laying on the couch watching the end of some Adam Sandler movie when Mom came in. "Hey, Mom." I sat up and turned the TV off.

"Hi, honey. How was your day?" she asked as she put her purse and keys on the table then walked into the living room to sit down in the chair.

"OK, I guess. I went to talk to Sam and ended up helping him paint the baby's room. Then I went and hung out with Leah for awhile then came home."

"Oh," she said with a yawn. "Sorry about that. I'm not used to these late nights!" she said with a smile.

"So, did you ask him? When he can . . . you know, meet?"

"Yes, and he is very excited, Embry. I've told him so much about you, but he really wants to talk with you and get to know you. He would like to come here tomorrow, if that's OK. Around one?"

_That soon? _"Tomorrow, wow. Um, OK, I'll call Sam. I'm ready to just get this over with. I'm so tired of worrying about it!" I pulled my phone out of my pocket then noticed what time it was. It was after midnight. "I didn't realize it was so late. I guess I'll call him first thing in the morning." I put my phone back into my pocket.

"Are you nervous about meeting him?" Mom asked me.

"Yea. I mean, shouldn't I be? This is weird, Mom. Meeting your dad when you're 18. I have no idea what I'm going to say to the guy." I looked at her and she smiled and took my hand.

"Embry, I know you've heard a lot of bad about him, but let me tell you this. I'm getting to know him so much better, and he is a good man. He really is. He is very caring, and thoughtful and even though he is a quiet man, he can be very funny. I guess what I'm saying is to keep an open mind, OK? I want you to get to know him as the man he is, not what he was perceived to be. Does that make sense?"

I nodded. "I'll try."

"Good. Well, I'm going to bed. See you in the morning, kiddo!"

"Night, Mom." She smiled and got up and walked down the hall to her bedroom. I just sat there and stared at the carpet. _I'm finally going to meet my dad tomorrow. My father! I can't believe after all of these years wondering who he is and what he's like, I'll finally know. Now if I can just keep Sam from killing him, we'll be good._


	33. Chapter 33

CHAPTER 33

Embry POV:

I opened my eyes and the sun was shining through the window. I looked at the clock and saw that it was after nine. I rolled over and put the pillow over my head. Then I realized that today was the day I was meeting my dad. _Sam! I needed to call him and tell him. _

I threw the pillow off of my head and sat up and put my feet on the floor. I reached over and picked up my phone and dialed Sam's number. I ran my hand over my face while I waited for him to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sam, it's Embry," I croaked.

"Hey, what's up? Sounds like you just woke up!" he said with a chuckle.

"I did. Do you have to sound so chipper? It's annoying this early in the morning!" I grouched at him.

"You called me, bro. Don't yell at me for being happy to be alive!" Sam returned.

"Yea, whatever. Listen, my mom arranged for our little meeting with our dad to be today, at one. Can you be here?"

I waited. I didn't hear anything. I thought maybe my phone dropped the call. I pulled it away from my ear and looked. Nope. Still connected. "Sam? You there?"

"Yea, dude. I'm here. Um, hang on, will ya?" Sam covered the phone and I could tell he was talking to Emily but I couldn't hear what he was saying. "OK, Embry. Where are we meeting?"

"Um, here, at my house, I guess," I replied. I wasn't sure that Mom said here, but I assumed that's what she meant.

"OK. Emily and I will be there at one. See ya." He hung up. I closed the phone and fell back onto the bed_. I wish this day were over already. The waiting was the worst!_ I thought about Leah. I wanted her to be here, too. I dialed her number and waited for her to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey, baby," I said.

"Hey back. What are doing awake this early on a Sunday morning?"

"I had to call Sam. Mom arranged for our meeting with our dad for today at one. Will you come over and be with me?"

"Of course I will! Are you nervous about meeting him?" she asked.

"Yea, I am. I guess I'm more nervous about what Sam will do."

She laughed. "Well, Emily will make sure he behaves, don't worry. I'll come over about 12:30, OK?"

"OK. Thanks, babe. I really need you today."

"I'm always here for you. I love you."

"Love you, too. See ya later."

"Bye." I rolled over and decided to sleep a little longer. I really wasn't in a hurry to get up and just wait around.

Leah walked in the door at 12:25. I looked up and smiled at her. She was wearing a new sundress. It was same green color that she wore for Emily's wedding. "Wow, you look really pretty. Did you get that when you and your mom went shopping?" I asked her as I stood up to meet her.

She gave me a big smile. "Yes, I did. I'm glad you like it!" I bent down and kissed her. _Mmmm, she smells good, too._

"You look pretty hot yourself," she said. I was wearing some new clothes that Mom had just bought me for school. The shorts were black and I was wearing a new dark red v –neck shirt with them. She even bought me new black Pumas! I wasn't sure where she was getting the money for all this. I had this suspicion that _he_ gave her some money to buy me some stuff.

We kissed a few more times and Mom came into the room. "Hey, you two. Mom in the room!" We pulled apart and Leah laughed. "She sounds like Seth!" I smiled and agreed.

Leah looked at my mom and said, "Hi Angie. Big day, huh? You look pretty." Mom was wearing new clothes, too. She had on a really nice dark purple blouse and some white pants. She did look pretty.

"Thanks, honey," Mom said with big smile. "So do you. Oh, I'm so nervous, and I know I shouldn't be. This is the day I've been waiting for for 18 years!"

"I brought my camera. I hope you don't mind. I thought maybe we could get some pictures later," Leah said.

"Oh, that's a good idea. Thanks, Leah," Mom agreed.

I rolled my eyes. _This was getting out of hand. I was getting irritated. They were so happy! Like this was a holiday or something! _I threw myself onto the couch and slouched down. I looked at the clock for the hundredth time. 12:35. _Come on already!_

Leah sat down beside me and took my hand. She rubbed her thumb along mine to sooth me. I smiled at her. She always knew what to do to make me feel better. Mom walked back into the bedroom because she forgot her earrings. _Earrings? I will never get used to this Mom. She was out of control with how she looked. It was really weird._

At a quarter til one, we heard a knock on the door. I looked at Leah and I think she saw the panic in my eyes. She said, "I'll get it," and she got up to answer the door.

She opened it and Emily said, "Hi! I hope it's OK we're a little early." I let out the breath I was holding. I stood up as Sam and Emily came in.

I walked over to stand in front of Sam and said, "Hey." He looked at me and said, "Hey, bro." He looked awful! He looked like he could hurl at any minute. Emily came over and gave me a hug. She whispered, "He's not doing so well." I nodded.

Leah said, "Come on in and sit down." They sat on the couch, and Leah and I grabbed a couple of the chairs from the kitchen table and brought them in to put by the couch. We sat down just as Mom came into the room.

"Hi Emily, Sam. I'm really glad you're here," she said. Sam just nodded and Emily said, "Thanks, Angie." I looked at Emily and noticed her baby bump was much bigger! She saw me look and she put her hands on her belly and smiled. I smiled back.

"I went to the doctor on Friday," Emily said. "He tells me that my due date should be around Valentine's Day."

"Aw, that would be great!" Leah smiled. "Did he say anything about an ultrasound?"

"Yes, I'm scheduled for one next month."

"Do you want to know ahead of time if it's a boy or a girl?" Leah asked her.

"I don't know. I think I want to be surprised," she answered.

Just then there was another knock on the door. Everyone went silent and I looked at Sam and he looked at me. Now I felt like I was going to hurl! Mom got up and went to the door. She looked over at me and smiled just before she opened the door. "Hi, Josh. Come on in," I heard her say.

Leah had a hold of my hand and I was pretty sure I was going to squeeze it right off of her arm. Sam was doing the same to Emily. I closed my eyes and swallowed. Then I opened my eyes and there he was, standing in the door way. My dad. The man that I had only imagined for the last 18 years. He was here, in my house. I slowly stood up and Leah stood, too. He was very tall and had short dark hair. He was dressed in white button down shirt and jeans. He looked at me with my eyes! We just stood there staring at each other. Finally, my mom took his hand, and led him over to me.

I was shaking from head to toe. He smiled at me and I could see tears in his eyes. I kept trying to think of something to say. I finally got out, "Hey, I'm Embry."

He smiled and said, "Hi Embry. You have no idea how happy I am to meet you." He held out his hand. I just stared at it. I couldn't move. I felt Leah put her hand on my back and give me a gentle nudge. I put my hand out and took his. I could feel tears come to my eyes and I tried so hard to hold them back. But I couldn't. I could see he was doing the same. He pulled my hand gently and I let him pull me to him and embrace me. He held on tight and so did I. _I can't believe it! This is my dad._

We stood there like that for quite awhile until we both got our emotions under control. I pulled back and he smiled at me. He put his hand on my shoulder and gave a squeeze. "I'm really looking forward to getting to know you." I just nodded. "I can't believe you're all grown up! We have a lot of catching up to do."

Then he looked over at Leah and said, "Hi Leah. It's good to see you again." She smiled and went to him and hugged him. "I'm glad to see you, too," she said.

Then he turned slowly to look at Sam. He was still sitting on the couch, staring at the floor. Emily nudged him and he finally looked up. _Oh God, the pain that was in his eyes. It hurt me just to look at him. _He stood up slowly and took a step toward our father. Then before any of us could see what he was thinking, he pulled back and punched Josh right in the face! Emily, Leah and Mom all screamed, and I just stood there and watched as it sent him backward and he landed on the floor.

Mom kneeled down and yelled, "Josh! Honey, are you alright?" Josh sat up and said, "I'm fine, don't worry."

Emily grabbed Sam and yelled at him. "We talked about this, Sam! Are you insane?" Sam just stood there, saying nothing.

Josh stood up and faced Sam. They were equal height and probably equal weight. Josh let Sam hit him. I knew he did. Sam looked him in the eye and said, "That's for my mom."

Josh nodded. "I deserved that, son. She was a good woman who didn't deserve the life she got. You will never know how sorry I am that I never got to tell her that." He put his hand up to his eye. Mom wanted to get him some ice for his eye, but he shook his head. "It's OK."

They stood looking at each other until Sam finally said, "So, Dad. Where you been for the last 18 years? I hear it's a great story." He didn't even try to keep his hostility hidden.

"I'd like to tell you if you want to hear it. I want you to know that I have thought about you every day. I have really missed you, Sam."

He snorted and sat back down on the couch. Emily put out her hand to Josh and said quietly, "Hello. I'm Emily, Sam's wife." Josh smiled and took her hand. "You are more beautiful in real life than your picture. I am very happy to meet you." Emily smiled and sat down next to Sam, who had a sulky look on his face.

The rest of us sat down. Josh sat in the chair by the couch, and mom perched on the arm of the chair. We all looked at Josh, waiting for this wondrous story. He looked at me then Sam. "First of all, I want to apologize to Sam. I want you to know that I never wanted to leave you. I've loved you all your life, son, and it killed me to walk away from you and your mother. But I had to leave to protect you." He took a deep breath then said, "You see, I'm a wolf, too, Sam. Like you, and Embry, and Leah."_ I couldn't believe it! He's a wolf, too? _I looked at Sam to see the surprise on his face, too. He went on, "And yet, I'm not like you. You all are shape shifters. You take the form of the wolf, but keep who you are. You exist to protect humans from vampires. When I phase, it's very different. I'm more werewolf than that. " He hesitated then said, "You see, I am a mix of Quileute and Makah. A very rare mix with a terrible genetic flaw . When I phase into wolf form, I lose myself completely and the werewolf takes over. It hunts to kill, but not just vampires. It kills whatever it sees. Any human form is a target. It doesn't know the difference between those I love and those I don't even know."

Sam and I exchanged looks. _Is he kidding with this shit? He didn't look like it._ "I know it's hard to believe. But it's true. The first time I phased, I was 22. I was already married, and Sam was 4. It terrified me! I had no idea what was happening. Do you remember how you felt the first time you phased? That fever, then what it felt like after?" We nodded. "That's how it is for me _every_ time. As soon as the fever started, my Grandpa Levi took me out into the woods to try and help me through it. But then, he saw what I was and knew he had to get me away from here. He kept me away and as soon as I phased back, he told me I had to leave and he was sending me to the Makah. He knew there was a man there who could help me. I was devastated! I didn't want to leave. I had a family that depended on me! I tried to stay for awhile and keep to myself. But I never knew when it would happen or for how long. And at first, it happened every 2 or 3 days. But then, one day, I came out of it to find that I had . . . there was a body there beside me. A girl I had known from school." He stopped and hung his head and put his hand up to his eyes. He was very quiet for a moment. "Finally, I knew I had to go. I couldn't imagine hurting Sam or his mom, or worse. So, one night, I left."

He took a deep breath and told us how he found the man there who sent him up north to live with the rest of the wolves like him. "It is a very remote place. Mostly animals around, no humans. I was there for 9 long years. It was hell. I spent more time as a wolf than as a human. In those few human moments, I began thinking more and more about who I left behind. I was missing so much of Sam's life. I hated it! So, I tried very hard to learn the rhythms of my body and what it felt like just before the fever set in. I finally got to a place where I thought I could hold it off long enough to get away before I could hurt someone I loved. It wasn't foolproof, but I had to try."

"I knew I couldn't live in LaPush. It was too close. I couldn't put my family in danger like that. So, I went to Port Angeles. It was a bigger town, and I could fade into the crowd. No one knew me there. I took a job working down at the docks. You can disappear for a while and still get work when you come back. But I made trips here to LaPush." Sam shot him a look. Josh looked at him and said, "I had to see you, Sam. I would stay in the shadows and watch you get on the school bus, or walk down the street with your mom. I wanted so badly to run to you both and tell you I was there. Hug you and tell you how much I loved you." Tears rolled down his cheeks. "But I held back. I didn't trust myself." He wiped his face.

"And when I found out that your mom died . . . it killed me, Sam. That I couldn't be there for her or for you." I could see fresh anger in Sam's eyes. Emily instinctively held onto his arm. "She was a good woman, your mom. She didn't deserve the life I gave her." Josh hung his head and wiped his eyes.

"No, she didn't," Sam said angrily. He looked at Josh, and my mom then looked away. "She died still loving you."

Josh looked up at him. "I know I handled everything wrong, Sam. At first, I was just terrified! I didn't know what was happening to me. I couldn't stand the thought of hurting either of you in my rage. And when I came back, I almost came to you at least a hundred times, but so much time had gone by, I just didn't know how to approach you. And my phasing was still very unpredictable even then. So I stayed away. But I kept an eye on you because I was afraid, as you got older, you might phase . . . and be like me."

"I came about once a week for awhile when you were about 18. I had a bad spell that lasted about 3 weeks and when I came back after that, I saw you running through town. You were huge, and you were running in just shorts even though it was about 40 degrees. I knew then that you had phased. But I wasn't sure into what. I hid in the woods for three nights in a row until I saw you. You are a magnificent wolf, Sam! I saw you and I could tell you were just out running, you weren't hunting to kill, and I can't tell you how relieved I was. I left then and decided that I wouldn't spy on you anymore. You deserved to live your life without that."

Sam exploded then. "You knew I was a wolf and you didn't say _anything _to me? Do you know how hard that was for me? I had no one, Dad. NO ONE, to help me through that! I thought I was going fucking crazy!"

"I know, I'm so sorry. I should have. I . . . "

"Yea, you SHOULD have! And now you come here with this bullshit about leaving to protect me, and you expect me to just say, 'Thanks, Dad?' Well, thanks, Dad, for making me feel like shit my whole life. Thanks, Dad, for making my mom miserable for the rest of her life. Thanks, Dad, for NEVER being here when I needed you! " Sam jumped off of the couch and walked over to the kitchen. I started to get up, but Leah held me back. "Leave him alone," she whispered.

Sam turned and looked at his dad then pointed at him and yelled, "I loved you, Dad. I fucking needed you! " I could hear his voice shake. This was so hard! Josh got up and walked over to him. "I know, Sam. I let you down. And I have hated myself every day since I walked out on you. I missed birthdays, Christmases, your graduation, your wedding, and most importantly, I wasn't there for you when you phased. I know how terrifying it was for you. I wish I could have been there for you. But I'm here now, son, and I am not going away again. I want to be here for you and for Embry for the rest of my life. If you will let me. Please, Sam, let me."

Sam shook his head as the tears rolled down his face. He backed up until he was against the counter and had nowhere else to go. Josh reached out to Sam and put his arms around him and they hung onto each other. I could hear Sam's sobs and I could feel the tears roll down my cheeks. Leah was crying as she put her arms around me and held me. Mom and Emily were crying, too.

They finally broke apart and Sam turned his back on us to look out the kitchen window. I knew he was trying to collect himself. I quickly wiped my face and watched as Josh walked back into the room to sit down in the chair and put his head into his hands. Mom put her arm around his shoulders and leaned down to whisper something in his ear. That was hard to see! Mom looked over to Sam and took her arm away from Josh. I was proud of her. I didn't think he needed that thrown in his face.

Finally Sam came in the room and sat down on the couch beside Emily. She took his hand and he gave her a small smile. Then he looked at our father and said, "Look, Dad. This can't be fixed overnight. There is a lot of shit we need to work through. But, I want you to know that I will try. Now that I'm going to be a dad, I feel like I need to get past this and move on."

Josh smiled and said, "Sam, I'm so glad to hear that. I know it won't be easy, but that's OK. I just want to be a part of your life. Any part that you are willing to share. I know don't deserve a second chance with you, son, but I surely do want one."

Sam nodded then said, "I think I need to go now. This has been tough for me. I want us to talk again, but give me a little time, OK?"

"Sure. I understand that," Josh said. Sam stood up and brought Emily with him. Josh stood up and held out his hand. Sam looked at it then put his hand out and shook it. "I'm proud of you, Sam. You've grown into a fine man."

"Thanks," he mumbled. He moved toward the door as Emily hugged Josh. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you," she said quietly. He smiled and said, "Me, too." She walked over to Sam and they left the house.

I jumped up and said quickly, "Be right back!" I ran to the door and called out, "Hey, Sam, wait!" He was holding the car door as Emily got into the car. I walked up to him and said, "Are you OK? I mean, that was pretty intense."

He looked at me and said, "No shit!" I had to smile at that which made him smile. "I'll be alright, bro. Don't worry. Go back in there." I gave him a quick hug and he held on a little longer. Then he pulled back, gave me a nod and walked around to the driver's side of the car. "See ya, dude," he said. I waved then turned to go back into the house. I was proud of him. That was hell to watch. I could only imagine what he was going through right now.

I walked in and my dad was asking Leah a question about being the only female wolf in the pack. She laughed and said, "Well, at first I hated every minute of it. But, that's because . . . " she stopped as I sat down. "Go on," I said. She smiled and said, "You see, I used to date Sam. I think I told you that when I first came to see you." Josh nodded. "After Sam phased for the first time, things were hard for us. He couldn't tell me what was going on, and I was a wreck. Then, my cousin, Emily, came to visit and . . . Sam imprinted on her."

"Oh, Leah. Now I understand why you said you really understood imprinting," Josh commented.

"Yea. I was heartbroken and angry and very hateful. He tried to explain, but of course he couldn't tell me the truth then. I just thought he dumped me for my cousin. Then, my dad passed away. He was out hunting, and he had a heart attack. He wasn't that old, so it's not like we expected it or anything. " She had to stop and try to collect herself. A few tears rolled down her cheek and she quickly wiped them away. "So, then I phase. And EVERYONE freaks because there has never been a female wolf in the pack. So now I am not only heartbroken, and grieving, but I am a freak of nature to everyone. It was a pretty dark time. "

"I can see that. How on earth did you get through all of that?" Josh asked.

She looked at me and took my hand. "Embry," she said with a smile. She looked back at Josh. "I was such a bitch to all of them for so long. Especially Sam. I hated him so much for imprinting on Emily, even though I knew that he couldn't help it. But, one night, after patrolling, Embry took the time to walk with me on the beach. He let me vent out all my anger and frustration, and then he held me and let me cry it all out." She looked at me with love shining in her eyes then she looked back at Josh. "He also shared with me that night about how much it hurt him not knowing who his father was. He opened up to me and shared his hurt with me. It really helped to know that someone else might know how I felt. That started the healing, which led to Sam and Emily and I all talking and working things out. I am now very happy to be such good friends with them both. I might never have had that chance without Embry."

She went on, "Now I love being a part of the pack! Although they tend to treat me a little differently because I'm a girl, I still like being a part of this big family. It's like having a bunch of brothers."

He nodded and smiled. "I'm so glad that you and Sam worked out your differences. Is that weird for you, Embry?"

I laughed. "Well, I've always known they had a relationship, but that was before I knew Sam was my brother. It's a little weird, but I'm getting used to it."

"So, Embry, do you have any questions for me?" my dad asked.

I looked over at him and asked, "Um, yea. You never mentioned, when did you meet my mom? "

"No, I didn't want to in front of Sam. I met your mom when I went to the Makah to find the man my grandpa sent me to see. Did your mom tell you how we met?"

I nodded. "She was getting off work at the grocery store and she bumped into you."

They both smiled at that memory. He took her hand and said, "She did! She ran right into me. And I felt a lightning bolt go straight through me." He looked at her then and I was shocked at what I saw! My mom's whole face lit up and he had such love in his eyes for her. I couldn't believe it! "We just talked about imprinting so I know you understand what that is." I nodded and he said, "Well, I know that's what happened to me when I saw your mom. It was amazing. I asked her where I could find this man, and she told me. But I couldn't let her go. I felt an instant connection with her. We had a drink and I asked her to dance. Just holding her in my arms for that dance, I knew something was happening between the two of us. I'm pretty sure she told you the rest. I want you to know, Embry, those days I spent with your mom were the happiest of my life. I know I was married, and to very fine woman. But it was something that I couldn't fight." He looked at Mom again. "I was madly in love with her." The smile on my mom's face was something like I had never seen before. She was glowing.

"Then on that third morning, I felt the fever coming on. I knew I had to get away and soon. I took her back to that horrible little shack and left her there. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I hated myself so much. I quickly found the man on the reservation that my Grandpa sent me to find, and I left that day to go up north."

"As soon as I made that decision to come back, I went right to the Makah and looked for your mom. I thought about her every day I was gone. I went back to that little house, but her aunt had died and her uncle, the old drunk, told me that your mom had packed up and moved out and he had no idea where she went. I was devastated. I had no idea where to look for her! I can't believe I never thought to look here, in LaPush. " He smiled at Mom. "She was so smart to come here. You have Sam here, and I hear he helped you when you first phased. I'm so glad that he accepted you as his brother. That makes me very happy."

"Me, too," I said. "I love Sam. He's been a great brother to me."

"Look, I know this is all pretty strange. But, I want to be your father, Embry, if you'll let me. I've missed 18 years of your life. I don't want to miss anymore. I hope we can maybe just be friends and try to get to know one another, then see where that goes. How do you feel about that?"

"Yea, I want to get to know you, too." He beamed at me.

"And, about me and your mom. I want you to know, that I still love her. I never stopped." He looked at mom and she added, "Me, too." He went on, "As I have aged, my phasing now has lengthened out to where I usually get a few weeks in between. This is my third week, so I am anticipating that I will phase soon. That's why I wanted to meet right away. I will stay away until I feel it is safe again. I don't know what that means for me and your mom. I already told her that I would marry her right now if I could. But, I don't know how that would work out. I still don't want to put any of you in danger. But she has told me that she wants to be with me, however we can work it out. I hope you can accept that, Embry."

I looked over at Leah. I knew that I would do anything to be with her, no matter what. If that's how my parents felt, how could I be against that? I looked at him and said, "I'm OK with it as long you don't hurt her again. She doesn't deserve that. Don't walk away from her." Mom smiled at me.

"I won't, Embry. Now that I've found her again, I will never let her go." He smiled at her and captured her hand with both of his.

"Does this mean you're moving here to LaPush?" I asked him.

"I don't know. I want to, but I'm not sure how I'll be received. I guess I need to talk to the elders of the tribe. They don't like my kind, if you know what I mean. If they don't want me here, I'll move to Forks." I nodded.

"So, tell me a little about you. I know you're a senior this year, your mom told me. But what else? What do you like to do?" he asked.

"Uh, well, I go to school, then I go to Jake's and we work on cars, trucks, motorcycles, whatever anyone brings us. We're saving money to open a shop of our own someday," I told him.

"Really? That's great," he said. "I always liked tinkering on things, too."

"Yea, it's pretty cool. And I run patrols, well all of us do. And I hang out with Leah," I said as I looked over at her with a smile.

"You're a lucky guy. I was very impressed with this young lady when she showed up at my door. I could tell then how much she cared about you."

"I am lucky," I said as I smiled at Leah. She smiled back and said, "Well, I'm pretty lucky, too." She leaned over and kissed me.

I stood up and said, "I think I need a break to kind of think things over. Leah? Will you walk with me?" She smiled and said, "Sure." She stood up and we walked to the door. My dad stood up and came to me and said, "I'm real proud to meet you, son. Thanks for letting me come here today." He put out his hand and I shook it.

"Thanks. Me, too. We won't be gone long." I opened the door and Leah went out and I followed. I took her hand and we walked down the street.

I was quiet as we walked. So much was running through my head! He was telling us about being a monster werewolf killing machine, and my mom is looking at him like he's a god! Seeing them so in love was weird, yet it wasn't. I was so confused and not sure how to feel about anything!

Leah patiently walked beside me, and was content to let me process everything. We got to the end of the street and I kept walking into the woods. When we reached the clearing, I stopped and looked at Leah. I shook my head and tried to find the words I wanted to say. She smiled at me and said, "It's OK, Embry. Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."

And that really amazed me. She wasn't going anywhere. She was right here with me. I smiled and bent down and kissed her. I leaned my forehead on hers and said, "Thank you, Leah. Thank you for finding my dad. Thank you for being here. Thank you for loving me."

She smiled radiantly and replied, "I will always be right here. I love you, Embry."


	34. Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

Embry POV:

I went to school the next day still confused as hell about everything that had happened the day before. Quil asked about the meeting on the way to school. I tried to explain things to him, but it came out sounding ridiculous.

"So, your dad stayed away because he is this weird kind of werewolf that kills people, no matter who they are, and he didn't want to kill Sam or his mom?" Quil summed up.

"Uh, yea."

"And your dad imprinted on your mom before you were born, and they still are imprinted?"

"Yes."

"Uh-huh. Well, is he better now? I mean, your mom's been hanging out with him like every night." I glared at him. "What! She has! He hasn't killed her so I figure he must be better or something."

"He says that now he has weeks between phases instead of days, and he knows what he feels like right before the fever hits him, so I guess he is a little better at predicting it."

Quil just nodded. "Weird shit, man."

"You're telling me?" He looked at me and laughed.

We got to school and went our separate ways to class. I hit my morning classes, trying to concentrate, but it wasn't easy. I finally headed to the lunch room. I was sitting at a table with Jared and Kim, waiting for Quil, when Seth plopped down beside me. "Hey, bro!" He said with a grin.

"Hey, Seth," I said as I took a bite of my lunch. The school pizza was surprisingly good today.

"I know you had kind of rough time yesterday. Um, Leah told me. But are you still going to help me today?" he asked.

I looked at him and said, "Huh? Help you with what?"

Seth gave me a disappointed look then opened his milk carton. "Never mind."

_Oh yea! I told him I would help him get his girl! _"Seth, dude. I'm sorry, I forgot! I got all this shit going on in my head. Sure, man, I'll help ya. Is she here in the cafeteria?"

He brightened right up and nodded. "She's sitting at the first table by the window. She's the one in yellow. Her name is Ashley."

"Whoa, good choice, bro! She's pretty cute. OK, here's what you do. We are going to stroll by and you're going to glance over at the table, smile a little and say, 'Hey girls, what's up?' then look her right in the eye, give her a smile and a nod and say, 'Hey, Ashley.' Then keep walking right out of the cafeteria. See you acknowledge all the girls at the table, but you single out Ashley in front of them. They love that!"

"OK, then what?" he asked.

"Then, you wait for her to come to you." I could see confusion in her face. "Don't worry, dude, she will," I added with a smile. I shoved the last bite of pizza in my mouth.

Seth shrugged and started inhaling his lunch. Quil finally joined us and we all ate and talked. Quil was in the middle of a Claire story when Seth said, "I'm done. Can we go now, Embry?" Quil stopped talking and we all looked at Seth. He smiled and said, "Sorry, but this is important! Embry's helping me get a girl, OK?" They all laughed and I said, "Alright, let's go."

Seth and I took our trays up and dropped them off. I leaned over and said, "You ready, dude?" He nodded, but I thought he looked pretty nervous. "Seth, remember, you gotta play it cool. Don't ever let them see your fear." He nodded again. "OK, let's roll."

We turned to make our way toward Ashley's table. "We are going to just chat as we make our way slowly to her table, got it?"

"Yea, OK."

"Now smile and laugh, but not too loud. Just a small laugh," I said then I laughed. Seth looked at me and laughed. "Good, dude, you're doing good. Now say something to me."

"I feel fucking stupid doing this," he said with a smile. I nodded and smiled.

"OK, here we are, go for it, Seth," I said quietly. He took a deep breath and nodded.

We cruised by the table and Seth smoothly looked over and said, "Hey girls, what's up?" then he looked his girl in the eye, gave a brilliant smile and a small nod and said, "Hey, Ashley." Then we walked on out of the cafeteria.

I turned to him and said, "Bro! That was perfect! You're a natural, Seth. You made me proud, dude!" He was grinning and we high-fived. Just then, I noticed Ashley and her posse of girls was making their way out into the hallway. I smacked his arm and said, "Quick, lean down and get a drink from the fountain!" I whispered.

He stepped over and leaned down to take a drink. He stood up just as Ashley was passing. She stopped and said, "Hey, Seth. Walk me to class?" He looked over at me and grinned. I winked at him. He looked back at his girl and said smoothly, "Sure." He turned and walked away with her. _That's my boy!_

Jared and Kim walked up just as Seth was walking away. Jared smiled and said, "Girls of LaPush High School, watch out! There's a new ladies man on the prowl!" We cracked up as Kim just rolled her eyes.

Leah POV:

I couldn't get what happened yesterday out of my mind. Watching Embry meet his dad was awesome, but seeing Sam face him was so different. Sam's pain was so raw! I had never seen him show that much emotion in all the years I had known him. I felt so responsible for that pain.

The guy from the cable company had been here this morning and hooked us up so we could now get to the internet. It was awesome! I was trying hard to concentrate on my college class, but my thoughts kept going back to Sam. I just felt like I had to see him. I closed the laptop and headed downstairs and out the door.

I walked up to Sam and Emily's house and stopped at the front porch. _What am I doing here? Haven't I caused enough trouble? But I have to see him and make sure he's OK. _I walked in the door and called out, "Hey, Emily!" She was in the kitchen, as usual.

"Hey, Leah! What's up, girl?" she called back with a smile.

"Not much. Ooh, cookies," I said as I picked one up and put it in my mouth. I laughed as I chewed then said, "I'm getting as bad as the guys! I should ask before I shove one in my mouth."

Emily smiled and said, "You don't have to ask! Have another one."

I picked up another cookie. They were really good! "Is Sam around?" I asked.

"Yea, he's out back in the garden, why?" she asked as she put a tray of cookies in the oven.

"I just can't get what happened yesterday out of my head. I guess I just wanted to make sure he was OK."

She gave me a small smile. "It was pretty intense, wasn't it?" I nodded. "I couldn't believe it when he hauled off and punched him. We talked about that before we went! He told me he would try to control himself." She shook her head then added, "He's been pretty quiet, but we finally talked a little this morning. I think he'll be OK, but it will take some time."

"Would it be alright if I went out back and talked to him? I just feel so responsible for what he's going through. I hate that he's in so much pain. I won't make him talk about it. I just want to see him."

She hesitated then nodded and said, "Sure."

I turned to go then stopped. I turned back to Emily and asked, "Are you OK with how things are? I mean with me and Sam? Does it bother you that we're friends?"

"No, Leah. It's a weird situation for all of us, but I know Sam loves me and you love Embry. What happened between you was very intense, but it is in the past. I'm glad that you can be friends. Really, I am."

"Thanks, Em. It means so much to have both of you back in my life." I smiled as I walked over to hug her. "Me, too, baby girl," she said. "I'll be back," I said as I headed down the hall for the back door. I walked outside onto the back porch and looked out to the garden. Sam was kneeling, pulling weeds. I walked over to the garden and said, "Hey, Sam. Need some help?"

He looked up at me then quickly looked back to his weeding, as he said, "I don't think you want to be around me right now, Leah."

I kneeled down next to him. "Yea, I do. I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment."

That made him smile. "OK, whatever. Start weeding." I smiled at him and took the next row over and started pulling weeds.

We worked in silence for quite awhile. Finally he sat back and wiped his forehead with his arm and said, "Leah, I'm OK. You don't have to babysit me."

I smiled slyly and looked at him. "Is that what I'm doing? I thought I was pulling weeds."

He looked me in the eye and said, "Leah, I've known you long enough to know exactly why you're here. You feel responsible for what I went through yesterday, which you are by the way, and you're here to make sure I'm going to be OK. That about it?"

I sat down and laughed. He smiled at me. "God, I hate it when you do that! You know me better than I know myself, I think."

"Yea, I do," he said with a smile. "Look, Leah. Yesterday hurt like hell, I'm not going to lie to you. Seeing him . . . well, it was hard. Damn hard. But . . ." he put his head down and said quietly, "It was good, too."

I closed my eyes and was so thankful to hear him say that. I felt, for the first time, that maybe, just maybe, this would really work out.

"You pushed me into doing something I didn't want to do, I won't lie. I was pretty pissed at you. But, I guess you know me better than I know myself, too. I needed to face him. We need to move past this." I smiled at him and he rolled his eyes. "But don't get the big idea that I need you meddling in my life anymore, OK? I'm a big boy, Leah. I can take care of myself and my family."

"Yea, I get that. I know you can."

He stood up and said, "Come on, let's go clean up." I stood up and walked with him to the garden hose. He turned it on and ran the water over his hands then he ran it over mine. We washed the dirt off and dried our hands on a towel he had hanging on the porch railing.

I looked at him and said, "Sam? I'm sorry for bringing all that pain on you. I know I apologized before, but seeing you yesterday . . ." I closed my eyes to try and keep the tears that suddenly sprung up from falling, "I didn't realize how raw that pain was." I opened my eyes and put my hand on his arm. "I'm sorry."

He put his hand on top of mine and said, "Quit apologizing, Leah. What's done is done. I hope maybe the old man and I can work this shit out. I mean, I'm going to be a dad soon. How can I be a good dad if I can't get past all this with my own dad?" He smiled then and added, "It'll be OK, Leah. I think it will be OK."

I put my arms around his waist and laid my head on his chest. "I hope so, Sam. I really do." He put his arms around me and held me. He rested his chin on my head and said, "Just let me work it out in my own time, Le Le, OK?"

"I will. I promise." I pulled back and looked at him. "But I'll be here for you if you need me."

He smiled and said, "Yea, I know." He put a quick kiss on my forehead and let me go. "Come on, I'm thirsty. Let's go get something to drink." I nodded and followed him inside.

Embry POV:

I dropped Quil off at Claire's after school and headed over to Jake's to work for awhile. I walked into the garage to find him making out with Bella. "Whoa, sorry, dude," I said as I turned to go back out.

He pulled away and turned his head to say, "It's OK, Embry. Just having some fun while I was waiting for you to get here." He smiled at Bella and she smiled back.

"Well, I don't want to spoil the fun, bro. I can find something else to do for awhile, you know," I told him with a grin.

Bella broke away and walked toward me. "It's OK, Embry. I have to go do some grocery shopping before dinner. I'll see you guys later." She reached up and patted my cheek as she walked by and I smiled.

I watched Jake as he watched Bella walk to her truck. "Dude, you got it so good," I said.

"Don't I know it! Man, are we lucky, or what?" he said with a grin. "Hey, come here, I got something to show you." He pulled me out behind the garage to show me a red Jeep. "I went to see Mr. Collins today for some parts and he shows me this. I had told him that we were trying to keep an eye out for a car for Leah. He tells me that some guy had this Jeep and the engine blew on it. Collins thinks the guy drove it too hard, cause the rest of the it is in great shape for a Jeep that's 15 years old! Newer tires, good brakes, good transmission. So the guy just tells Collins he can keep it cause it would cost more to fix than it was worth. The guy is obviously an idiot! Anyway, so Mr. Collins told me if we want it, we can have it. But we have to get a new engine for it. So I took it! We can go to the junkyard and find an engine for it easy! The only thing is, you'll have to teach her how to drive stick."

"I can do that! This is fucking awesome, Jake! When can we get down to the junkyard?" Man I couldn't believe this! She would be so excited.

"Whenever you want. Just let me know," he answered. I popped the hood on it and started poking around.

"How did you get it here?" I asked him.

"I had Sam come with me and we towed it here with the truck." He looked over at me and added, "We talked a little about your Dad. He told me about popping him one. Man, I can't believe he did that!"

"Neither could I! But, I'm pretty sure he could have moved out of the way. He took it on purpose. Sam said it was for his mom."

Jake nodded. "At least he stuck around to hear his story. You know, why he left."

I looked at him and said, "I see why you said I needed to hear it from him. What a weird story, huh? I don't think I would have believed it if I hadn't heard it from him."

Jake nodded. "Sam didn't really want to say much more about it. So, are you going to see him? Your dad?"

"Yea, I guess. He told me he wants to be my father. He said he missed the first 18 years of my life and he didn't want to miss any more. He asked me if I was OK just being friends and getting to know each other first. I agreed. I mean, I always wanted to know my dad. Now I have the chance."

Jake smiled at me and said, "I'm glad, Em. Make him take you fishing. You always wanted to do that with your dad. This time, he can dig the hook out of your hand instead of me!" I shoved him and said, "Shut up, dude!" He just laughed.

I thought about that though. It would be cool to go fishing with my dad. I smiled as I realized that I could actually ask him.


	35. Chapter 35

CHAPTER 35

Leah POV:

Seth came bounding through the door after school. "Hey, Sis! I had a great today. How bout you?"

I had to laugh at him. "What is up with you? What was so great about it?" He plopped down on the couch beside me with a big grin plastered on his face.

"Embry helped me with Ashley today. And _she _asked _me_ to walk her to class. So I did and we met after school and I asked her to go to the dance with me on Friday night, and she said yes! Isn't that just fucking awesome!"

"Way to go, little brother!" I held up my hand for high five and he slapped it. "What did Embry do to help you?"

"He just helped me get started. He taught me to make eye contact with her and give a sly smile and nod. And it worked! Man, he's so smart when it comes to girls. He knows exactly what to do!" Seth gushed.

"Yea, he's smart alright," I said. "You just be careful how you treat this girl, Seth. Don't play with her feelings, OK?"

"Yea, yea. I'll be good, don't worry. I'm starving. I need something to eat!" He jumped up and headed for the kitchen. I just shook my head and thought maybe I better find out what all Embry was teaching him.

I was in the kitchen later putting supper on the table when Embry came in the front door. I knew it was him because I could hear Seth call out, "Embry! I asked her to the dance and she said yes!" I smiled and shook my head.

"Supper's on the table!" I hollered out. They came bustling into the kitchen, Seth talking a hundred miles an hour.

"And I couldn't believe it, dude! I just asked her and she said yes. Man, I was scared, but I tried to stay cool like you told me. I didn't let her see my fear."

Embry laughed and put his arm around his neck and pulled him to him then tousled his hair. He let him go and said, "See? All you needed was the confidence. You are a natural, Seth. You'll have them lining up to go out with you."

I gave Embry a look. He just smiled and said, "Hi, honey. What's for dinner?" as he moved over to hug me and kiss me on the cheek. I rolled my eyes and said, "Sit down and you'll find out."

It was just me and the guys for dinner. Mom was at work. I had put two chickens in the oven, stuffed with Grandma's recipe for dressing, and I made garlic mashed potatoes and green beans to go with it. I had everything on the table and Seth sat down and started digging into each bowl as fast as he could. "Slow down, Seth! There's enough for all of us, you know," I scolded.

He looked up sheepishly. "Sorry. Guess I'm just too excited."

"I guess," I replied as I sat down. We all filled our plates and Seth started peppering Embry with all kinds of questions.

"I never went to a dance with a girl. What if she wants to dance? I don't even know how to dance. I mean, where do I put my hands? And then . . ."

Embry cut him off with, "Seth, stop! Look, it's not that hard, dude. I'll show you everything after we eat, OK? Stop sweating it." He nodded and shoved a huge bite of chicken in his mouth.

From there we talked about school, and I told them about visiting Sam and how I thought he was going to be OK. Embry told us about Jake suggesting he ask his dad to go fishing, and that he was thinking about it. Seth nodded and added, "Yea, me and Leah used to go with our dad sometimes. But he mostly liked going with just Billy and Charlie. He said we talked too much and scared the fish away." Embry laughed and said, "You do talk a lot, dude."

I laughed and looked at Seth. He just shrugged and kept eating. We finished our dinner and we all cleaned up the kitchen. When we were done, we went into the living room and Embry said to Seth, "OK, are you ready for your dance lesson?"

Seth gave Embry a weird look and said, "You want me to dance with you?"

"No, idiot. I'm going to show you by dancing with Leah. It will be informative for you, and fun for me," he said wiggling his eyebrows at me. "Put some music on, dude."

"Here, I'll do it," I said. I knew Seth would have no idea what song to put on to dance to. I picked out a John Mayer CD and set it to "Your Body is a Wonderland." I walked back over and Embry smiled at me. I was actually looking forward to this!

"OK, Seth. Watch and learn," Embry said. He turned to me, gave me a killer smile and said, "Hey, Leah. Wanna dance?" I smiled and said, "Sure." He reached out and took my hand and led me out into the middle of the room.

He put his hands on my hips and I put mine on his shoulders. "You want to start out with a little room, let her get comfortable with you touching her. Look into her eyes as you start moving. Not big movement. Just small swaying to the beat of the music." He looked me in the eyes and smiled. I smiled back. _This is fun!_

"If the music isn't too loud, you can talk a little if you like." Embry looked down at me and said, "I really like this song. Do you know who sings it?"

I smiled and said, "Yea, John Mayer." "Then, as the song goes on, you move your hands from her hips, ever so slowly to her back. This will pull her a little closer, and she'll move her hands up behind your neck." Which is exactly what I did. "You can talk a little more about music, movies, whatever. Just make her feel comfortable." We danced a little more.

He looked at Seth and said, "Watch closely. What kind of music do you listen to?" he said closer to my ear, which also brought his body right next to mine. _Slick move. Man, he was good! _His arms tightened just a little more around my middle. I found myself moving with him to the music and not paying any attention to what was going on around me. "Um, Leah, I asked you a question?" he whispered in my ear.

"Oh, huh? Music, oh yea!" He laughed at me and I said, "I like pop and country mostly."

Then he turned back to Seth and said, "Now that you have her right where you want her, you just pull her in and put your head close and just move to the music. I laid my head on Embry's shoulder and we moved to the music for awhile.

"You think you got it?" he asked Seth. "Yea, I think so," he answered. "As the song is ending, if you really feel in the moment, and this is a _big if_, bro, you can make a move and get a kiss, like this." Embry moved his head very slowly to place his face very close to mine. He looked into my eyes for a few seconds, still swaying to the music. Then he ever so slightly put his lips to mine and held them there for a moment then pulled back, and the song was over. He smiled at me and I smiled back. "And that is how it's done," he said. I just shook my head and marveled at the master.

He put a quick kiss on my lips and let me go. He turned to Seth. "Now, Seth, I can't emphasize enough not to rush the kiss. You have to feel the moment. If it's there, take it. If it isn't, don't worry. There will be another one." Seth just nodded. Embry walked over to him and asked, "Have you ever kissed a girl before?"

He looked up at him quickly then looked at me. "What? I won't say anything. I'll just sit right over here," I said as I sat down on the couch.

He looked back to Embry and said, "Well, kind of. Last year, we were on the bus on a field trip and there were a few of us in the back and someone wanted to play Truth or Dare. So, when it came to Jenna, this girl sitting by me, she picked dare, and someone dared her to kiss me. So she turned to me and kissed me on the lips. It wasn't a long kiss or anything. But, that's the only time."

"OK, well that's something. Well, when you kiss a girl, especially for the first time, you don't want it to be overbearing, you know what I mean? It should be soft and lingering. And no tongue on the first kiss. I hate it when a girl shoves her tongue down my throat! That's just gross, man. You work your way up to using your tongue, and only teasingly."

I stood up and said, "You know, I'm going to go upstairs to my room while you two have this little talk. I think I'm just a little uncomfortable with you teaching my little brother how to be an expert kisser." Then I walked over to Embry and said, "Although, you are really good at it." I smiled and kissed him on the lips then went up the stairs. I heard him laugh and say, "So are you, baby!"

I laid on my bed with my laptop and did a little web-surfing. I wondered what all Embry would really teach Seth. I guess he should learn from the best! But, I was glad that Seth had Embry to talk to now that Dad was gone. He would need someone to talk to about girls and sex. _Oh God! Seth having sex. I don't want to think about that!_

I was looking at some recipes on how to make a pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin instead of using the canned stuff when Embry came to the door of my room. He leaned against the door frame and looked at me. I smiled and asked, "Lesson over?"

He smiled and answered, "Yea. I think I filled his head with enough for tonight." He walked in, but left the door open, and came to sit beside me on the bed. "You're not upset with me for teaching him this stuff, are you?"

"No, I'm not. I know I was worried about what you might teach him, but, I'm glad you talked to him. He needs a guy to talk to about girls and kissing . . . and I hate to even say it . . . sex. Without Dad around . . ."

"Yea, I know how that is. I had to learn on my own. Guess it's a good thing I'm such a natural, huh?" he said with a sly smile. I smacked him and he went on, "I don't mind talking to him. I love the little runt, you know that. And, he really likes this girl. I'm not teaching him how to kiss her and dump her. You know I don't work like that. I spent time with all those girls because I actually liked them and wanted to be with them. I can't help it if they all found me so irresistible!" He gave his sexy smile. _Yea, that's the one I like the best_.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Well, as much as I hate to admit it, you are pretty irresistible!" He leaned over and put his lips to mine. I sighed and he put his arms around me and pulled me closer and deepened the kiss. I kissed back until I remembered that Seth was home. I pulled back and said, "You know, my little brother is still downstairs. I don't really want to be a visual aide anymore."

He moved to kissing my ear and throat. "Yea, but he's watching a Mariner's game. You know how he gets when he watches baseball."

I moved my head to give him better access to my neck and shoulder. "Mmmm, hmmm." _Oh why does that have to feel so good?_ Finally, I pulled away and smiled. "I can't do this with Seth downstairs. Sorry."

"Yea, I know. I can't either, but I wanted to see how far you would go before you caved," he said with a grin.

"Oh, you!" I picked up my pillow and plowed him in the head with it. He jumped off the bed with the other pillow and smacked me. Of course it escalated into an all out war, ending with Embry on the floor and me sitting on top of him hitting him in the head with my pillow. "Truce! I give!" he hollered at me. I looked down at him and tried to catch my breath. He looked at me and his smile faded as a different look came into his eyes. I knew that look. It was drawing me down, closer to his face, until I was kissing him. He had his hands in my hair and I had my lips on his devouring him. It was getting out of control quickly when he pushed at me and I pulled away to look at him.

"Baby, you better get up right now, or I won't stop," he panted. I smiled and kissed him one more time. He groaned and flipped me over and held my hands above my head. "You're playing with fire, Leah. I don't care if you're little brother is downstairs or not." I looked into his eyes. He wasn't bluffing. He would do it. And, oh, I really wanted him to. But good sense prevailed and I nodded and smiled and said, "OK. I give."

He got up and ran his hands through his hair then mumbled something about seeing me downstairs. I stood up and grabbed my hair brush off of the dresser and ran it through my hair. I looked at myself in the mirror and I could see my cheeks were flushed. I smiled. I liked playing with fire.

Embry POV:

I drove home from Leah's and parked my truck. I noticed Mom's car was home. I walked into the house and saw that Mom was curled up on the couch with the phone in her lap. "Hey, Mom," I said as I closed the door.

"Hi, honey," she said quietly. She sounded upset.

"You OK?"

She looked at me as I sat down in the chair. "Yea, I guess. I just got off the phone with Josh. He said that he will be out of touch for awhile. The fever started. He didn't know how long it would last, but he would call me when he it was past."

"Oh." I didn't know what else to say.

She smiled. "I guess I got used to spending time with him. I'll miss him while he's gone. Isn't that crazy? I haven't seen him for 18 years, and now I'm worried about not seeing him for a few days."

"Yea. I was talking to Jake today about him and he told me I should ask him to take me fishing. When I was a kid, I always wanted a dad to do that with. Do you think that's stupid?" I asked.

She smiled and answered, "No, honey, it's not stupid. I think he really just wants to spend time with you. Ask him."

I nodded. "OK." We sat there quiet for a minute then I asked her, "Does it bother you to know why he can't be here right now? Have you thought about what he does when he's . . . I mean, what if he kills someone?"

"Oh Embry, don't even say that! Yes it bothers me. But I hate it because of what he has to go through. He told me that he has a remote location that he goes to, and so far, he has been alone there. Just some deer and other animals. I know that he tries very hard to stay away from people when he is like that. He is trying to be responsible. I guess I really don't want to think about it."

"Yea, I know. I was just thinking, that's all," I told her. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed. See ya tomorrow."

"OK. Goodnight."

I got up and went to my room and closed the door. I stripped off my shirt and took off my shoes then sat down on the bed. It was hard to think of him as this werewolf out hunting for blood. I guess we would have to learn to put that aside, and just concentrate on the man. It made me wonder what Mom thought of me when I was out as a wolf. I thought maybe I should ask her. I got up and walked back out in the living room.

"Hey, Mom?" She turned to look at me. "Yea?"

"Um, I was just thinking. You know what we were just talking about . . . I guess I was wondering what you think about me. When I'm a wolf. I've killed vampires you know. I mean, we've never really talked about it." I walked over and sat down on the chair.

"I guess we haven't. Well, as far as I know, you kill to protect us, right? I mean, it scares me out of mind to think about you doing something so dangerous. I try not to think about it really. But, how does that make you feel? To kill a vampire?"

"It's hard to describe. I mean, when I phase into the wolf, I become the wolf in body, but I still have my own mind, my own thoughts. When we see a vampire, we kind of go on the adrenaline rush we get from our wolf body. We chase it down and well, I don't want to get too graphic. But the first time, it's such a rush and you give in and go with it and you don't even realize what's happening until is over. Then it kind of sinks in and at first I felt bad. But these bloodsuckers are deadly. They kill humans and feed off of them. We have to kill them or they will kill those we care about." Mom just nodded. "I know it's got to be so weird for you. Knowing your son becomes a wolf to kill vampires. It's really not something most mothers deal with."

Then she laughed. "No, it's not. I don't think I've ever come across an article in any parenting magazine on that one." I laughed at that. Then she looked at me and asked, "What do you look like as a wolf? I mean, do you all look different?"

"Yea, we do. We keep some of our own characteristics, like our eye color, and I wear my hair longer and I have bangs, so I'm a little shaggier than the rest of them." I sat there for a moment and then I said, "Do you want to see what I look like as a wolf?"

"Can I?" she asked excitedly.

I smiled and said, "Yea, sure. Come on outside with me." We got up and went outside. "I usually don't phase until I get to the woods. It's just a short walk down the street. Is that OK?"

"Yes, that' s fine," she replied. As we walked, she asked me, "Can I watch you as you phase?"

I looked at her and smiled. "Well, I usually take my shorts off so I don't rip them to shreds. So, I would be . . . naked, and that's just a little awkward for me."

She laughed and said, "Uh yea, for me, too. I forgot. You told me that you tie your shorts to your ankle with the cord you wear there."

"Yea. Then when I phase back, I slip them back on." We got to the end of the street and walked into the woods.

"Does it hurt when you phase into a wolf?" she asked me.

"No, I wouldn't say it hurts. At first it was hard to control. But now it's very natural and I can phase when I want to." I stopped walking and said, "Here is good. I'm going to go over there and take my shorts off then I will phase into the wolf and come back to you. Don't be afraid of me, OK? There's no way I will hurt you. Like I said, I may look like a wolf, but it's me inside."

She nodded and said, "OK. " I jogged over to hide behind some bushes and slipped my shorts off and tied them to my ankle. Then I took a few steps and phased on the run to the clearing where Mom was patiently waiting. I walked slowly to her so I wouldn't scare her. I walked up to her and looked at her.

She looked at me with wide eyes full of amazement. "Embry! That was amazing! Can I . . . pet you?" I nodded my head up and down and tried to smile at her. She laughed as she put her hand on my head and ran it down my neck to my back. "I see what you mean about being shaggy," she said as she found my bangs that flopped over my eyes. "Oh Embry. You are awesome as a wolf. Thank you for showing me." She hugged my neck and I rubbed my head against her.

"_What's going on, bro? You playing wolf-boy with your mommy?" _Oh great. Sam caught me. Just what I need.

"_Yea, I thought she needed to see me like this. Did I break some wolf rule or something, or are you just fucking with me?"_

"_Just fucking with you. Big brothers do that you know."_

"_Where are you?"_

"_About 100 feet behind you. Didn't want to scare your mom."_

"_Come on out, but slowly, then sit down. I'll phase back and tell her." _Mom had let go and I trotted away back to the bushes. I quickly phased back and as I was untying my shorts I yelled, "Mom, Sam is in wolf form and he is close. So if you see a black wolf, don't scream!"

She yelled, "I see him." I pulled on my shorts and ran back to the clearing. Sam was sitting there patiently waiting for me. I walked over to Mom and Sam got up and slowly walked toward us.

"Oh Sam, your father was right. You are a magnificent wolf," she said to him.

"Be careful, Mom. You'll give him an even bigger head than he already has!" Sam looked at me and growled and I laughed.

He sat down in front of Mom and she held her hand out and placed it on his head. He closed his eyes. She ran her hand down his head and said, "Sam, thank you for taking good care of my son and all the other members of the pack. I know it's a big responsibility, but you do it well. You are such a good big brother to Embry, and I am so glad he has you." Sam put his head down then he looked up at her. She smiled. He walked over to me and bumped me and I almost fell over! Sam is a big wolf! Then he turned and ran out of the clearing.

"Wow. That was . . . awesome, Embry. Thank you," she said as she pulled me to her for a hug. She let me go and we turned to walk home. "I didn't realize you would be so . . . huge! You are bigger than normal wolves, aren't you?"

"Yea, we are. You were good. I thought you would be more scared than you were. Especially when Sam came up."

"He is pretty intimidating! I was really surprised by your size, but yet I could tell it was you. And Sam looks . . . kind of like Sam. I see what you mean by keeping some of your characteristics. Is Leah as big as all of you?"

I shook my head. "She and Seth are a little smaller. Seth is the youngest, so as he grows, he will get bigger I guess."

She nodded. "What is it like for you and Leah to be in wolf form at the same time? That must be strange to hear everything that goes on in each other's head."

I chuckled. "Well, yea. But it's not too bad. A couple of weeks ago, Leah wanted to show me a place that she likes to go when she patrols at night. It's a high bluff that looks out over the water. A full moon was rising and we went there to see it. We got there and it was so beautiful. She laid down on her stomach and looked out at it and I could hear and almost feel how much she was in awe by what she was seeing. I laid down next to her and took it in. I remember she thought it was weird to lay side by side like that as wolves, but yet it wasn't. And she was right. It seemed as natural to me as sitting on the couch with her. Even when I look at her with wolf eyes, I still see Leah."

Mom smiled. "It's amazing to me the life you lead. I can't believe I didn't know anything about it. I'm so glad I do now."

"Me, too. I really hated lying to you."

We were back home, so I went up the steps and opened the door and held it open so Mom could go in. I followed and closed and locked the door. She turned and hugged me again. "I just want you to know that I love you and I am proud of you."

I hugged her back and said, "Thanks, Mom. I love you, too."

She pulled back and said, "I'm heading to bed. Goodnight."

"Night, Mom," I called after her. She made her way to her room and closed the door.

I stood there wishing I could see what my dad looked like in wolf form. Was he like us? Was he bigger? I was curious, but then again, I was a little afraid. Maybe I didn't want to know.

_A/N: I know the Seth story doesn't really have anything to do with the major storyline, but I love Seth and just wanted to have some fun with him. There will be more later . . ._


	36. Chapter 36

CHAPTER 36

Embry POV:

I was on my way to Sam's to help put on the second coat of paint in the baby's room. I told him I'd be over after school. I called Jake to tell him Sam needed my help, and he was cool with that. Sam and I hadn't talked since that day we met our dad and I was kind of worried about him. I had decided to give him some space to deal with it.

Dad was still out of touch. It had been two days already, and Mom was going nuts. I hoped he came back soon so I wouldn't have to put up with her crankiness anymore!

I pulled up to Sam's and parked the truck. I jumped out and went up the porch steps to go inside. Emily was just coming out. "Oh! Hey, Embry. You here to help paint?"

"Yea. Where you going?"

"My mom's sick, so I'm going over to take some soup to her. I'll be back later," she explained as she held a soup pot in her hands.

"OK. Here I'll help you ." I walked with her to the car and opened the door for her. She set the pot on the floor and said, "Thanks."

"Yep. No problem. See ya, sis!" I said as I made my way back to the house.

"Bye, little brother!" she called back. I smiled. I liked having a sister. I made my way down the hall to the baby's room.

"Hey, bro, what's up?" I said to Sam.

"Not much. Ready to get to work?" I nodded and walked in and picked up a roller. Sam had already started and had one wall just about finished. I poured some paint into a tray and took it over to the opposite wall. I put the roller in the paint and put it to the wall. We worked for a little while then he asked me, "So, you doing OK?"

I looked at him. "Me? Yea, I'm good. How bout you?" I rolled some more paint onto the wall.

He looked over at me and said, "I'm trying, bro. I'm really trying to work through all of this. I think I'm ready to see him again."

"He's, um, out of touch right now. The fever set in the day after we talked. He told Mom he would call when he was back. I'll make sure I get his phone number for you. You should have it."

He nodded. "I have his number. Your mom called and gave it to Emily later that night. It's freaky, huh? Him 'being out of touch?' "

I smiled as I rolled paint. "I asked my mom the other night if it bothered her to think about him as a . . . whatever he is. She said she didn't want to think about it. That's what led me to showing her what I looked like as a wolf."

"Oh, I wondered why you did that. Yea, I don't think I want to think about it either. Although I find myself being somewhat curious."

"Me, too! I wondered if he looks like us, you know like a wolf, or is he more like a wolf-man creature? I don't' know. I don't like what he does, but I would like to see him."

Sam looked at me and said, "Yea, me, too." He put his roller down. "I want to ask you something, but I don't want to make you mad or anything."

I turned to him and said, "You can ask me anything, Sam. You should know that by now."

He nodded. "It's about your mom." I stopped rolling and said, "What about her?"

"Well, I noticed when Dad was telling his story the other day, he left out the part about your mom. I'm sure he did that because he didn't want to upset me any more than I already was. "

I put the roller in the paint tray and grabbed a rag to wipe my hands. "That's what he told me, yea."

"I remember when she had her talk with you, and you phased and I saw some of what she told you. I know they met when he left here, and that they spent a few days together. She lived at the Makah Reservation, didn't she?" I nodded. "So, he was with her right before he went north?"

"Yea. He told me that on the third day they were together, he felt the fever coming on and he knew he had to get out and fast. He took her back and went straight to find this guy that his Grandpa wanted him to see then he left that day for the rez up north."

Sam put his head down for a moment to process things. The he looked at me and said, quietly, "He imprinted on her, didn't he?"

Wow. I should have figured he was smart enough to guess. "Yes."

He turned to look out the window. "I thought so. I could tell just by looking at them. That imprint is still there." He turned back to me. "That must have been hell for him. To walk away from her. . . and to stay away for 18 years. I tried that once. When it first happened to me." I looked at him in surprise. "Yea, I did. I know it's hard for you to think about, but I really loved Leah. I hated what was happening to her. It was bad enough that I turned into a wolf and I couldn't tell her, but then I imprint on her cousin and I can't tell her the truth! When the elders explained to me what happened, I told myself I wasn't going to give into this imprint shit. I had to give up a normal life to be a wolf, now I have to give up my girl? No way. I walked away from Emily and stayed with Leah. I wanted more than ever to make it work with her. Everything was perfect with us before this happened. I just wanted my old life back, you know? I stayed away from Emily for a week. I can't tell you the physical pain that you go through, man. I would spend time with Leah, but think about Emily. I would go to bed at night and dream about Emily. My body ached for Emily." He turned back to the window. "I would hold Leah and kiss Leah, and the whole time all I could see was Emily. I fucking hated it!" He looked at me. "I fought it as hard as I could, but I finally gave in and told Leah I couldn't do it. I couldn't be with her." He closed his eyes as he remembered. "God, the look on her face. I will never forget it." He opened his eyes. "All those months of seeing her in such pain and knowing I caused it, but I couldn't do a damn thing about it."

I put my head down and tried to listen without being jealous. It was fucking hard! My hands were clenched into fists and my body was completely tensed.

"Look, Embry, I know that was hard for you to hear, but I told you that to make a point, not to hurt you." I looked over at him and he went on, "Imprinting is . . . well, it is what it is. It's strong and it's binding and it cannot be denied. I really love Emily with everything I have, you know? I can't imagine being without her. I am extremely happy with her and with our life together. And here's the point: I know my dad loved my mom, but not like he loves your mom. It can't be denied, even after being apart for 18 years. I can't be pissed about that, dude. I totally get it."

I had my head down trying to get over being so jealous. I looked up at him. "I wanted to tell you about them. I should have figured you would see it," I told him. "So, you don't hate my mom?"

He smiled at me. "No, I don't hate her. She'll probably be my step-mom someday!"

I smiled. "I'm really glad you understand, about my mom. I know you were close to your mom like I am with mine. I don't know if I could be so forgiving."

He gave me a big smile and said, "I have to be, bro. I am moving on! I am focused on the future now. I have to get this room ready for my own little baby. Can you believe that? I'm going to be a dad. That's just fucking crazy!"

I laughed. "Yea, and I can't wait to hear your baby's first words. It will probably look at you and say, 'I fucking love you, Daddy!' " I said in a high baby voice.

He laughed hard at that and picked up the roll of blue tape and threw it at me. I ducked and kept laughing. It felt really good to make Sam laugh.

Leah POV:

I didn't see much of Embry for the next few days. He was helping Sam paint the baby's room, and Jake just got three vehicles in, and of course, they all wanted their cars fixed right now! I went by the garage and saw him, and he was working really hard trying to finish an engine rebuild for this Jeep. I guess someone was in a real hurry for it or something. He did come over for a bit last night for some help with his trig. I really missed seeing him every day.

His dad still hadn't called. Angie was getting kind of worried about him. He did say that he didn't know how long it would last. It had been almost 5 days now. I figured he would call over the weekend.

It was Friday, and Seth was all excited about taking Ashley to the dance tonight. Mom had the night off, so I told Seth I would drive him to the dance. He came home after school all in a panic about what to wear. He must have called Embry at least 10 times! I told him he was working and he would call him back. He knew it was THE big night. He ran upstairs to go through his clothes – again! Mom came down the stairs as he was running up them.

"What's with him?" she asked me.

I told her he was all worried about what to wear to this dance. She laughed and asked, "My son? Worried about clothes? " I nodded and joined in her laughter.

"Oh, Leah," Mom said. "I'm walking over to Billy's to cook dinner for him and Charlie tonight."

"I can take you over, Mom," I told her.

"No, that's fine. I need the exercise. Charlie can drop me off later. Just take care of your brother! He's a wreck!" I laughed and promised her I would. "See you later!" she called as she walked out the door.

I went into the kitchen to get a drink when Embry came in the back door. "Hey, baby," he said with a smile. I flew into his arms and he held me close. "I missed you," I said into his chest. Then I pulled back a little and held my face up so he could kiss me. We were doing just that when Seth came into the kitchen.

"It's about time! I've called you at least 10 times!" he yelled at Embry. He laughed and let me go and said, "Chill out, bro! What is your deal?"

"I don't know what to wear and I want to gel my hair, but I don't want to look gay! I need help here! I'm freaking out!" Embry looked at me and we both laughed. He walked over to Seth and made him sit down in a chair.

"Sit down and take a breath, dude. Look, we will help you, OK? But you have got to get a grip. Leah? Get him something to drink."

I pulled a pop out of the fridge, and handed it to Seth. Then I handed one to Embry. He sat down next to Seth and opened it and took a drink. Seth did the same. "OK. Better?" Seth nodded. "Alright. Once you calm down, we will go upstairs and look at your clothes. But, dude, come on. You're a guy. You're not the one that is supposed to stress over clothes, OK? You wear something that is clean and comfortable. You can't be cool if you're not comfortable. And Leah can help with your hair. Yea?" He looked at me and I nodded and said, "Sure."

"OK. I'm sorry. God, I don't know why I'm acting like this! She's just a girl," Seth said.

Embry smiled and patted him on the shoulder and said, "Now, you got it, dude. Come on, let's go upstairs and fix your clothes problem." They stood up and I said, "Call me when you want help with your hair." He nodded and they left the kitchen.

We finally got Seth all ready to go. He was wearing a pair of faded black jeans, and white t-shirt with some sort of black design on it tucked in just in the front with a belt. Not bad. And were those Embry's new Pumas? I smiled. When I went to help him with his hair, I noticed that he was wearing it a little longer, and brushing his bangs over to the side like Embry's. _That's so cute! _I put a little gel in it and pulled it out a little. He looked pretty hot, even if he was my brother! I noticed he was wearing the chain that my dad had given him on his last birthday. It had a small metal disc hanging on it that was engraved with a wolf. It meant a lot to him, but he only wore it on special occasions. I wondered if this Ashley had any idea how much trouble Seth was going to for her. I think I even smelled some cologne! I hoped she deserved it.

"Well, bro, I think you're ready. Remember to be cool, but not too much that you come off acting like a jerk. Make sure you compliment her first thing. She'll be nervous about how she looks so you want to make her feel good right away." Seth nodded. He looked at Embry like he was some kind of dating god, or something!

I laughed and said, "Aren't you writing this down?" Seth turned and gave me a look. "I'm just kidding! Come on, we're supposed to pick her up in 10 minutes! You don't want to be late."

Embry, Seth and I walked to the car. Seth got into the back seat and Embry crawled in the front seat with me. I drove to Ashley's house and stopped in front. Embry turned around and said, "OK, Seth. Go knock on the door, and make sure you tell her how pretty she looks. Go get her!" Seth smiled and climbed out of the car.

I looked over at Embry and said, "I think you're more nervous than he is! Look at you."

He smiled and pretended to fake cry. "They grow up so fast!" I laughed and smacked him. We watched as Seth knocked on the door and Ashley opened it. She was wearing a cute little plaid skirt with a t-shirt and a vest. And really cute flats. "Awww, look how cute she is," I said.

"Oh Leah, please don't do that around Seth. He's being cool, see?" I had the window down and we were trying hard to listen.

Seth said, "Hey Ashley. You look really pretty tonight. I like your hair like that." She gave him a radiant smile and said, "Thanks. You look really nice, too." She closed the door behind her and they walked toward the car. Seth opened the car door for her and she got in, then he walked around to get into the car on the other side.

"Um, Ashley, this is my sister, Leah, and her boyfriend, Embry," he said. We were turned in our seats so we could see them.

"Hi, Ashley. It's very nice to meet you," I said.

Embry, living up to his image, said, "Hey Ashley," in his coolest tone. I looked at him and just shook my head and smiled.

Ashley smiled and said, "Hi. It's really nice for you to give us a ride."

"Oh, no problem," I said as I turned around and started the car. As we drove to the school, I noticed it was kind of quiet in the back seat. So did Embry. He half-turned in his seat and said, "Hey Seth. I forgot to give you these guitar strings you asked me to pick up in town for you. Here." _Guitar strings? What the . . . _I looked over at Embry and he winked at me as he held out an envelope to Seth.

Seth reached out and took it and said, "Oh yea, thanks. I have a song I'm working on and I broke the E string." _Song? What song?_

"You play guitar?" Ashley asked. Embry turned back around and looked at me and gave me a nod. I couldn't believe they cooked up this little scheme just to impress a girl. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yea, I'm just learning. I really like it though. I can play some power chords now, so I've been learning some new songs," Seth said, just like he really knew what he was talking about.

"Wow, that's awesome. Maybe you could play for me sometime?" Ashley asked. _Yea, I'd like to hear that! _

"Yea, sure," Seth answered.

Luckily we pulled up to the school and Seth didn't have to keep up the charade any longer. "I'll be back to pick you up right here at 11:00, OK?"

"OK. Thanks, Leah. Thanks, Embry," Seth said as he got out to go and open Ashley's door.

"Thanks again for the ride. See you later!" Ashley said. "Have fun," Embry called after them. Seth closed the door and as Ashley walked toward the school, Seth looked back and gave us a big grin. Embry gave him a "thumbs up." Then he turned and walked with Ashley to the school.

"Maybe we should go in with them. You haven't been to a school dance in awhile. Might be fun?" Embry said, trying to convince me. "I do like dancing with you," he said as he drew himself closer to me.

I smiled and said, "I really like dancing with you, too, but I think we should leave Seth on his own. He doesn't need us hovering over him. Besides, my mom went over to Billy's to cook dinner for him and Charlie tonight, so we have the house to ourselves for awhile. We could dance there . . ." he cut me off with a kiss then he said, "Hurry up, woman! Drive!" I laughed and put the car in drive and headed home.

We went back to my house and had a very romantic dance that lead to other romantic things. Embry was very smooth, I had to admit. He knew all the right moves! We were in my room, wrapped in the sheets on my bed. Embry was propped up against the pillows and I was laying on his chest. He was running his hands through my hair and it was very relaxing. "Leah? Have you ever thought about us . . . getting married someday?" _Did he just say "married?"_

I raised my head and looked at him. "Have you?" I asked.

He smiled and said, "Way to dodge the question, baby."

I laughed and said, "OK, I will admit, during Sam and Emily's wedding, I thought about it. What about you?"

He smiled back. "I think about it all the time."

I sat up and said, "Really? You never said anything before this."

"I know. It took you so long to say that you loved me, I guess I didn't want to scare you off." He put his hand up to my face and looked in my eyes. "But, I know I love you, and I don't ever want to live without you. I want to marry you, Leah. And someday, I will."

I smiled and felt tears sting my eyes. I leaned forward to put a very soft kiss on his lips. "I love you, too, Embry. More than I ever thought I could love anyone. I might just let you marry me."

He laughed at that and rolled me onto my back. He looked down at me and said, "You might let me? What do I have to do to get a definite yes?" His face was so close to mine. I reached up and touched his lips with my finger and said, "I think you know." He smiled and then showed me that he did.

Much later, we got into the car to go and get Seth and Ashley. Embry was all excited to see how his little protégé made out. I pulled up to the school and we had to wait about 10 minutes for them to walk out to the car. "They're smiling! That's a good sign," I said. "And look! They're holding hands."

Seth opened the door for Ashley and she got in. "Hey Ashley," Seth said to her. "Hi," she said shyly. Seth got in and I took off.

"So, you guys have a good time at the dance?" I asked.

"Yes, it was fun," Ashley replied with a smile as she looked over at Seth. He smiled back. Embry looked at me and winked. They started chatting about one of Ashley's friends and who all she danced with and I looked over at Embry and smiled. We drove to Ashley's house and Seth got out to walk her to the door. "Good night, Ashley," I said.

"Good night. Thanks, again," she said.

"You're welcome. Anytime." She got out and Seth walked her to the door.

"We shouldn't watch, should we?" I asked.

"Hell, yea!" Embry said with a grin. We watched, but tried to make it look like we weren't watching. They stood and talked for a minute. Then they got quiet and looked at each other. Seth leaned in and put a long, slow kiss on her lips. He stepped back and I could a smile on Ashley's face. She said good bye and went inside. Seth "floated" back to the car and hopped in.

I took off as Embry said, "Dude! That was awesome! Perfect lean-in kiss. I take it you had a good time?"

"Oh man. Yea. I really like her. She's awesome. We hung out with some friends for awhile when we first got there. Then they played a slow song and I asked her to dance. I did just like you showed me. It was . . . really cool. We danced to three more slow songs! I even kissed her at the school. Not while we were dancing. We took a walk for awhile cause it was so hot in there. We walked down the hall and stopped to talk a little and, I don't know, it just felt right. Like you said. So, I kissed her. Man, I really like kissing."

Embry and I laughed at that. "Oh no. What have I done?" Embry asked me.

"I'm hungry. Can we get something to eat?" Seth asked. I laughed and said, "That's the little brother I know!"

II pulled into the convenience store and he and Embry ran in to get us some snacks. I watched them through the window and smiled. Seth was talking Embry's ear off and he just let him. I loved this guy so much_. I think I could marry him someday and be very happy._


	37. Chapter 37

CHAPTER 37

Embry POV:

The best thing about Saturdays is sleeping late. I woke up and looked at the clock and saw it was after 10. I stretched and sat up and rubbed my face. I got up and used the bathroom then I walked out to the kitchen to see if there was any coffee left. I grabbed a cup and poured some coffee into it. I took a sip and heard Mom say, "Good morning, son. Do you think maybe you could go back into your room and put some pants on over your boxers?"

I looked out at her with a smart ass comment on my tongue, but I froze. Sitting there with my mom, was my dad! "Uh, yea. Sorry." My dad just smiled and said, "Hey Embry!" I waved and walked back to my room and closed the door. _Shit. I feel like an ass!_

I grabbed some clean boxers and some pants and walked to the bathroom to clean up. I showered and dressed, shaved and brushed my teeth. I grabbed a t-shirt from my room, threw it on and walked back out to the living room. They were laughing about something. I walked into the kitchen and picked up an apple and took a bite as I walked to the living room to sit in the chair. Mom and . . . Dad were sitting on the couch.

"Hey Embry! It's good to see you. How are you doing?" Dad said.

I swallowed my bite of apple and said, "Good. Really good. How are you?"

He smiled and said, "Better now, thanks. Got any plans for today?" he asked.

I shrugged and said, "Not really." I took another bite of my apple.

"I thought maybe we could eat lunch with your mom and Leah then do something after, just the two of us. Would that be OK?"

_Wow. Just me and him. Am I ready for that_? "Um, yea. OK." Mom smiled at me. "I can call Leah. What time should I tell her to come over?"

"Oh anytime is fine, honey. We will probably eat around noon," Mom answered.

"I'll go finish my apple and give her a call," I told them. I got up and went back to my room. I sat down on the bed and dialed Leah's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, baby. What are you doing today?" I asked as I took another bite of apple.

"Not much. I have a paper for one of my classes due on Wednesday, so I thought I might work on that. But, I can always put that off. Especially for you," she said sweetly.

"Well, I woke up this morning and walked out to the kitchen in my underwear to find my dad sitting in the living room with my mom!" Leah laughed. "Anyway, I am now dressed and he wants you to come over and eat lunch with all of us then he wants to do something after just him and me."

"Wow, Embry. That's great! Sure, I'll come over. What time?"

"Mom said anytime is fine, but we'll probably eat around noon."

"OK. I'll get ready and come right over. See ya soon!"

"OK. Love you," I said.

"Love you, too," she replied then she hung up. I threw the phone down and took the last bite of apple. I hoped Mom was making a lot of lunch because this apple wouldn't hold me very long!

Leah came over about 11:30 and hugged both my mom and dad. It was kind of cool that they all got along so well. She went into the kitchen to help Mom with lunch. She was making tacos, which was one of my favorites! My dad and I were sitting in the living room. I wasn't sure what to talk about. Suddenly, I thought maybe he might like to see picture of me when I was a kid. "Um, I have a photo album with some pictures of me as a kid. Not many, but . . . would you like to see it?"

He smiled and said, "Yes! I really would." I got up and went to the cupboard and took out the black photo album. I sat next to him on the couch and handed it to him. He just held it and stared at it for a minute like it was gold or something. Then he opened it to the first page with my baby pictures. "Look at you!" he said with a smile. "You look a lot like Sam here in this one." He studied each one until he came to the one of Mom holding me. She was so young and pretty in that picture. He was really moved by that picture. He ran his finger gently over it. I thought maybe I should have Leah make a copy so I could give him one.

He finally turned the page and smiled and laughed at pictures of me taking my first steps and riding a tricycle. He enjoyed the school pictures, and of course had to comment on the one with my crooked bangs! We got to the end and he closed it very carefully and held on to it. He looked at me and said, "Thank you, Embry. I really enjoyed looking at those."

"You're welcome," I said as he handed the album to me. "It must be hard for you to know you missed all that stuff."

He smiled and said, "You have no idea how hard. I can't believe I have two grown sons, and I missed so much with both of you. I wish there was some way to make that up to you both."

"There is. Just be with us now," I said.

He smiled. "I'm planning on it," he replied.

"OK, you two. Time to eat," Mom announced. We got up and joined Mom and Leah at the table. We actually had a nice time, eating and talking. Leah and I told them all about getting Seth ready for the dance. They enjoyed that story. Of course, then Leah had to tell them about my reputation with the girls at school. At least she didn't tell them how many girls I made out with! I think my mom would faint if she heard that!

We finished our lunch and Leah got up to help Mom clean up. "You go spend some time with Embry. I'll help Angie clean up," Dad told her. Mom looked at him and beamed. I swear he could do anything and she would smile at him like that. It was kind of sweet, but gross at the same time!

Leah and I sat down on the couch and she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "What are you and your dad going to do this afternoon?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. He didn't say."

"This is a big day for you two. I'm excited for you!" I rolled my eyes. "Come on! It is. You need to spend some alone time with him to get to know him better. He's a nice guy, Embry. I like him."

I shook my head and laughed. "I'm so glad he gets your stamp of approval. So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I guess hang out with your mom," she answered. "Maybe I'll get her to tell me some cute embarrassing stories about you when you were little," she said with a sly smile.

I laughed. "Yea, like she has any. I've always been cool, baby." She smacked me on the arm and said, "Yea, right!"

Just then Dad came over and asked, "So, what should we do this afternoon? Any ideas?"

I shrugged and said, "No. But anything is fine. I don't care."

"Well, I know this probably sounds corny, but when I was a kid, my Grandpa Levi used to take me fishing over at this little lake not far away. I took Sam once when he was little, and now . . . well, I'd like to take you. I mean, only if you want to . . ."

I could feel a big smile spread across my face as I said, "Yea, Dad. I'd really like to go fishing with you." He smiled at me and nodded and said, "Alright, then. Let's go!" He stood up and announced, "Angie, I'm taking our boy fishing!"

Leah looked at me and smiled so big. I pulled her to me and she whispered, "Enjoy today, Embry. You've waited a whole lifetime for it."

I pulled back and kissed her and heard Dad say, "Come on, boy! You can kiss that beautiful girl when we get back. The fish are waiting!" I laughed at that. I couldn't ever imagine picking fishing over making out with a beautiful girl! But, I was doing just that.

I stood up and told him I had to go out to the shed to find my fishing pole. "No need for that. I, um, took the liberty of buying you a new rod and reel and it's in the back of my truck. I guess I was really hoping you'd say yes," he told me sheepishly.

"Well, then let's go!" I said. I turned to Leah and said, "See you later, OK?" She nodded and replied, "Have fun!" I gave her a quick kiss and I turned in time to see my dad do the same with my mom. Still weird.

We left the house and got into the truck to drive to the lake. It wasn't far. Just on the other side of town, about 5 or 6 miles. It was the same lake I used to go to with Billy and Jake when I was a kid. "We'll stop in town and get some bait and some drinks and snacks, OK?" Dad asked.

"Yea, sure." He took off and headed into town. We were quiet for the first few minutes. I guess neither of us were good at starting conversations.

Finally he looked at me and asked, "How many people know about me, Embry? I mean, know that I'm here, that I'm back?"

"Um, I don't know." I had to think about that! "Well, us, of course. And Jake, and he told Billy, but I don't think he told the other elders. Maybe he did, I'm not sure. And the pack, Sam, me, Leah, Seth, Jake, Quil, Jared and Paul. Not sure if they all told their parents or not. We told them to keep it to themselves."

He nodded. "I'm just wondering about going into town. If I'll be recognized. It's been a long time, but there are still people around that knew me then. When I came here before, to see Sam, I always wore a hat and sunglasses and stayed out of sight as much as I could."

"Well if you're worried about that, we can go somewhere else . . ."

"No! I need to get used to it. I'm not hiding anymore. Now that you and Sam know about me, there's no reason to hide anymore. I want us to be a normal family." He looked at me and laughed at that. "Well, as normal as we can be."

I chuckled at that. Normal. Yea, right.

He pulled into the one gas station/convenience store in town. He looked at me and said, "Well, here goes." We got out of the truck and headed inside. "I'll pick up some bait and you work on snacks and drinks. Grab a couple of bottles of water for me." I nodded and headed to the coolers.

I had gathered some water, a bottle of Mt. Dew, and a couple of bags of chips and was heading for the front of the store when I heard Quil's dad's voice. "So, it's true. You're back in town." _Oh shit. _I made my quickly up to the front and stood by Dad. "Hey, Mr. Atera," I said. I always called him that. It was too confusing having Old Quil, Quil, Sr. and Quil.

"Hey Embry. How ya doing?" he asked me.

"Good. Um, we're going fishing," I said.

He nodded as he looked at my dad. "It's good to see you Quil. I hear our boys are pretty good friends. I'm glad of that," Dad told him.

He nodded and said, "Yea, they are. Embry's a good kid." I smiled shyly at him. "He's done alright," he added. _Without you around._ I could hear that implication there.

Dad smiled and said, "Yea he has. Well, it's good to see you. I'll be around. Maybe you and Quil can join us next time we go fishing." Dad stuck his hand out. Mr. Atera hesitated, but took it and gave it a shake.

Quil's dad gave me a weird look then said, "Yea, maybe. See ya." He walked out the door.

Dad looked at me and said, "Well, I hope I passed that test. Guess word will get around pretty quick now." I nodded and put all my stuff on the counter so we could pay for it and get out of here. I was suddenly in a hurry to get to the lake.


	38. Chapter 38

CHAPTER 38

Embry POV:

We didn't talk much on the way to the lake. I guess it bothered him more than he thought it would that he was recognized in town. I wasn't sure how I felt about it either. I hated that Quil's dad looked at him like he was a criminal or something. I guess that was bound to happen though. When he left, I'm sure there were all kinds of rumors going around about him. There were still people here that remembered that time, like Quil, Sr. Maybe after he was around for awhile, people would find something else to talk about.

I looked out the window at the scenery of LaPush flying by. Dad was a part of this reservation. His family was one of the first in the tribe. I had the wolf gene for God's sake! I was part of the royalty of this tribe, and so was he. I wanted so much to see him treated with respect like Billy was. I looked over at him as he drove. I was amazed at how defensive I was all of a sudden about this guy. I just met him! It was so long ago I called him an asshole for leaving my mom. I shook my head and looked back out the window.

He turned onto the road that leads to the lake. As we got close, he glanced at me as he asked, "This spot OK with you?" I nodded and answered, "Yea, sure." He parked the truck at the lake and we got out to take our gear from the back. He pulled out a brand new rod and reel and handed it to me. "Wow, this is sweet!" I told him as I looked it over. "Thanks, this is cool," I added.

"I'm glad you like it. Let's go try it out!" He grabbed his gear and we made our way down to the lake. We found a spot we liked and I cast out my line then reeled it in to get a feel for the new pole. "How's it feel?"

I smiled as I cast it out again. "Fucking awesome!" Then I realized what I just said. "Oh sorry," I said sheepishly. He laughed and said, "Don't apologize! I want you to be yourself, Embry." He cast out his line and we just . . . fished. All of a sudden it hit me. I was fishing with my dad! Something I had wanted since I was a little kid. I glanced over at him and he smiled at me. It was very weird, but very cool.

"Hey! I think I got one!" he called out as he reeled in his line. He held it up to show me a very small bass. "Is it big enough to keep do you think?" he asked with a laugh as he took if off of the hook. "You know I promised your mom I'd bring home dinner!"

I laughed at the sight of him holding up this fish that was about 5 inches long. "I think you better throw it back and try again. That's not even an appetizer!" He laughed and threw it back into the water. He baited his hook and cast out again.

"Um, Dad?" I started then said quickly, "Oh, is it OK if I call you Dad?" He looked over at me and said, "Yes. I'd like that." I smiled. "OK, Dad," I began again, "I have kind of weird question. You don't have to tell me if you don't want."

"It's OK. You can ask me anything. What do you want to know?"

"I was thinking the other night, what do you look like when you're . . . you know, when you phase? Are you all wolf, like we are, or do you . . . look different?"

He took a deep breath then said, "That's hard for me to answer, Embry. When I turn into this . . . thing, I don't keep myself in tact, like you do. So, I can't tell you what I look like, but I can tell you what others of my kind look like. When I was up north, there were about a dozen of us, I guess. When we phase, we become wolf-like, but not entirely wolf like you. The first time I saw someone change, I couldn't believe the size! But since we have that genetic flaw, we keep some human characteristics, like being able to walk on two legs instead of all four. It's so hard to describe. I know watching it through human eyes, it's terrifying. I'm actually glad I can't remember anything after I phase back into human form. I have always felt that I wouldn't want to remember what happened during those times."

"I'm sorry, Dad. That you have to go through that. I really wish you were like me and Sam."

"Me, too. You don't know how much I wish that." He was slowly reeling in his line. "You seem to be OK with this wolf thing."

"Yea, it's cool. At first it was really hard. Especially not being able to tell Mom anything about it. I'd be out all night and I couldn't tell her why." I laughed and added, "She'd ground me and I'd go right back out do it again. I had to! Sam's orders cannot be denied. But now, now that she knows, it's so much easier for me."

He nodded. "You know, since we ran into Quil, I guess I'd better call Billy Black and ask to meet with the elders. I really want to get that over with."

"Yea. Do you really think they won't want you here?" I asked.

He looked over at me as he took his phone out of his pocket. "I don't know. I guess we'll find out! Can you give me Billy's number?"

I nodded and reeled in my line. I put my pole down and dug my phone out of my pocket. I told him Billy's number and he dialed. "He knows I'm back, doesn't he? Jake told him?" I nodded.

"Hello, Billy. It's Josh Uley. Do you have a minute? I really need to talk to you." He turned and walked back toward the truck to talk.

I picked up my pole and cast the line out into the water. _I really hope Billy doesn't give him any shit. _I hadn't talked to Billy since my dad was back, so I didn't know how he felt about it. I know that Jake told his dad about going with Leah to see Dad and about his story, so maybe hearing it from Jake would help him understand a little better. I wondered where Dad was thinking of living. _With us? I mean, I know about the imprinting thing, but are they really ready to get married? They hardly know each other, really._

Dad walked back to me and smiled and said, "Billy is calling the elders and we're going to meet tomorrow night." He picked up his pole and baited the hook.

"How did he sound? Was he pissed or . . . "

"He was OK. He told me that he had talked to Jake and he said he was actually curious about my story. I guess he has some questions for me. That should be fun," he said sarcastically. I smiled. He cast his line out into the water sat down on the bank.

"So, let me ask you a question," Dad said. "I know that you became a wolf to protect this reservation against vampires. Since there are so many of you, that must mean there are a lot of vampires in the area. Is that true?"

I looked over at him. "Well, kind of. You see, there is a family of leeches that lives near Forks. The Cullens. They are kind of like a family, but they are different than other vampires. They don't feed on humans. They live on animal blood. I guess a long time ago, they made a treaty with us. As long as they don't bite any humans, we allow them to live here. We even have a treaty line. They stay on their side, we stay on ours. But, because they live here, sometimes others come through. When Bella hooked up with Edward Cullen, we had more. She's like a bloodsucker magnet!"

"Bella . . . isn't that the name of Jake's girlfriend?" Dad asked.

I smiled and nodded and sat down beside him. "Uh, yea. Well, you see, Jake fell in love with Bella when they were kids. But she moved away with her mom when she and Charlie got a divorce. She only visited in the summers. Then, a year ago or so, she moved here to live with her dad and Jake fell for her all over again. But, she fell in love with one of the bloodsuckers, Edward. Then he left her after his brother almost lost it and bit her, and he was gone a long time. That's when Jake and Bella got close. But then, this Edward comes back and Bella falls for him again. They even got engaged and she was going to let him turn her into one of them." Dad looked over at me in shock! "No shit?" he asked.

I laughed, "No shit! Anyway, there was this one vampire chick, this redhead, who hated Bella because Edward killed her mate. So she built this army of newborn vampires to come here and kill all of the Cullens, and Bella. They didn't count on us though! We joined forces with the Cullens and kicked their asses in no time. But Jake got hurt pretty bad during the fight. Bella heard and came running. I guess before the fight, Jake kissed her and got her to admit that she loved him, too. So, she spent two days taking care of Jake and the next thing you know, she decides she doesn't want to be a vampire, and she tells Edward to take a hike and she's with Jake. And then, Jake imprints on her! So, Edward leaves town for good, and Jake is a happy dude."

"Wow! That's quite a story," Dad said. "So, these vampires, how did they learn to stay away from human blood? I can't imagine that would be easy."

I shrugged. "I don't know. I don't really care, as long as they stick to the treaty. Their, um, I guess you would call him their leader, Carlisle, he is good guy. He's even a doctor! I don't know how he can be around all of that blood at the hospital, but he is."

"Hmmm. That's really interesting. I'd really like to meet this Carlisle sometime."

I looked at him and said, "Ask Jake. Him and Bella know him pretty well. He might be able to set something up."

He nodded. "I might just do that."

We were quiet again for awhile. I got a bite on my line, but when I pulled back to reel it in, I lost it. "Damn!" As I was putting more bait on my hook, Dad said, "Tell me more about this shop you and Jake want to have some day."

I smiled and said, "Are you sure you want me to? I can talk for days about it!" He smiled and said, "Yea, I want to know." So, I launched into an explanation of all of our plans for our auto shop. Jake and I had been really thinking about it a lot lately. As I talked he would nod and add comment or two. It was cool being able to share this part of my life with him.

We spent the rest of the afternoon just chatting about stuff. He told me about his house and how much work he has put into it and how he really kind of enjoyed doing that. We broke out the snacks and I told him about the Jeep we were fixing up for Leah. We actually caught some fish, but none of them were big enough to keep. It got to be after 5:00 and Dad said, "Well, we better head home. I guess we'll have to stop and buy dinner since we didn't catch any!" He laughed.

We picked up all our gear and put it in the back of the truck. As we climbed inside to go home, I said quietly, "Thanks, Dad, for today. I . . . had a good time."

He looked over at me with a smile, and put his hand on my shoulder. "Me, too, son." He started the truck and we headed for home.

We stopped and picked up pizza on the way home for dinner. We walked in and Mom laughed. "I didn't know fish came in pizza boxes!" Dad walked over and put the pizza boxes on the table then he took Mom in his arms and kissed her. Wow. That's the first time they had done that in front of me. It was really weird to see my parents like that! I wondered if I would ever get past everything seeming so weird.

Leah had stayed and hung out with my mom, so she got up and came over to hug me. "Did you have a good day?" she asked me.

"Yea, I really did." I kissed her and said, "But I missed you." She gave me her dazzling smile and said, "I missed you, too."

"OK, everyone! Let's dig in!" Dad announced. We all grabbed a plate and ate pizza. We told them about our day, and Mom and Leah told us about theirs.

"We drove to that little fruit market outside Forks and bought some apples, and made pie. I had a feeling we might need some dessert tonight," Mom said.

"Pie? I love pie!" Dad said excitedly.

"Well, who doesn't love pie, Dad?" I said to him with a smile.

He laughed and said, "I wouldn't trust a man who didn't love pie, son. It's just not American!" We all laughed at that.

After we finished the pizza, Mom and Leah presented us with their homemade apple pie. It was delicious! I ate three pieces!

"Man, you can eat! And you're so skinny," Dad said to me.

"Wolf metabolism. I think I'm the skinniest of all of us, though. Sam and Jake are the biggest, and well, I guess Seth is smaller, but he's still growing." _Sam_. I remembered that Sam wanted to talk to Dad again. "Speaking of Sam, um, he told me he wants to talk to you again."

Dad looked at me. "Really?"

I nodded. "I went over to help him paint the baby's room a couple of days ago and he said he's been really trying to get through this shit," Mom gave me a look, but Dad just smiled. "Uh, stuff, and he wants to talk to you. I told him that you were gone, but I think you should call him and let him know you're back."

"I'll do that right now." He took his phone out of his pocket and walked to the living room.

Leah looked at me and smiled. I smiled back and stood up to help Mom clear the table.

We could hear Dad's side of the phone call: "Hey Sam, it's your dad. I just wanted to let you know that I'm back . . . . . I'm good . How are you and Emily? . . . . Good. . . . . . Yea? I'd like that, Sam. I have a meeting with the elders tomorrow night, but I'm free during the day. . . . . Oh, he did? Yea, I forgot about you being a part of that. . . . . OK, we'll be there. Thanks, son. I'm looking forward to seeing you and Emily. . . . . OK, bye." He hung up and stood there for a second just looking at his phone then he put it back into his pocket and came back to the kitchen.

He looked at Mom and said, "Sam invited us to his house tomorrow afternoon. How about that?"

Mom looked at him, her eyes wide with surprise. "He invited me, too? Are you sure?"

Dad laughed and said, "Yes. He said, 'Why don't you and Angie come over tomorrow around five.' Your name is Angie, isn't it?"

She looked at me and shook her head in amazement. "Wow. Yea, I'm just really surprised."

I looked at her and said, "Mom, he knows about you two, imprinting."

Dad turned his head quickly to me and said, "Did you tell him? Was he upset?"

"I didn't have to. He said he knew just by looking at you both. You know, Sam does have some experience with imprinting." I glanced at Leah, and she gave me a weak smile. "And no, he's not upset. He told me he couldn't be, cause, well, he gets it. He's OK with it."

"I am so glad. I really didn't want him to be upset about us being together. I know he loved his mom so much, and I don't want to try to replace her or anything. But I would really like to be a part of their lives," Mom told us.

I smiled and added, "He said he was moving past all of that for the sake of his baby. He even said he was pretty sure you would be his step-mom someday."

That made Mom beam! She looked over at Dad and he smiled and put his arm around her. Just then my phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket. "It's Sam," I said. "Hey, what's up?" I answered.

"Just got a call from Dad. I told him to bring your mom and come over around five tomorrow. You and Leah want to come too? I thought I would grill or something."

"Uh, yea, that's cool. Family cookout, huh?"

"Yea. Look at us! We're the all American family. Kinda scary, isn't it?" he said.

"No, it's cool. Let me ask Leah, hold on." I looked over at Lean and told her what Sam said. "Yea, sure, let's go!" she said. "We'll be there at five, bro."

"OK. See ya then." He hung up. "He actually sounded happy about all of this," I told Leah. She smiled and said quietly, "Bout fucking time!" That made me laugh.

I shook my head and thought how much my life had changed in such a short time. Mom and I had gone from being just the two of us, to being a part of a family! Both of us had someone in our lives that loved us. It was actually a little overwhelming, but I was starting to like it.

I looked at Leah. I really wanted to spend some alone time with her. "Hey, baby, want to go for a walk or something?" She smiled and said, "Sure." I took her hand and said to my parents, "We're going out for awhile then I'm going to take Leah home."

"Thanks so much for having me over today. I really enjoyed our afternoon, Angie," Leah told my mom. Mom reached out and hugged Leah. "Anytime, sweetie," Mom replied.

"See you tomorrow," she said to my dad. He smiled and said, "See you then."

"I'll be back, later," I said as I led Leah outside. They nodded. I'm sure they needed some alone time, too. _Yea, don't go there!_

"You OK?" Leah asked as we walked toward my truck. I opened the door for her and said, "Yea, I'm good. I just wanted some alone time with you." She smiled at me and I bent down and kissed her. "Mmmm, good idea," she said.

She got in and I walked around and got in behind the wheel. "Where are we going?" she wanted to know.

I started the truck and said, "I don't know. Want to walk on the beach? We haven't done that in awhile." She nodded and I pulled out and headed for the beach. "So, you had a good day with my mom?"

"Yea, I really did. She is so happy, Embry. She told me today that she never gave up hope that you all could be a family someday. She really is hoping that they can get married. Are you ready for that?"

I thought about that for a minute. My mom and dad, married to each other. "Kind of blows me away, really," I told her. "This is all happening so fast. It's hard to get a grip on it."

She nodded. "I take it you had a good day with your dad?"

"Yea, I really did. Except when we ran into Quil's dad at the gas station. He treated Dad so . . . I don't know, like a criminal, or something. It was pretty uncomfortable. I hope they don't treat him like that tomorrow night when he meets with all of the elders."

"Me, too."

I pulled up to Leah's house. "I'll just park here and we can walk down to the beach, OK?" She nodded and got out of the truck. I walked around to take her hand and we walked back to the trail that would lead us to the beach. "It's a nice night. Look at all of the stars."

She looked up and smiled. "I love clear nights like this. Doesn't seem like we get many here in rainy Washington." We made it to the beach and Leah turned to walk along the water when I stopped her. I took her in my arms and kissed her gently on the lips. She wrapped her arms around my neck and put her hands in my hair. We stood there kissing for awhile then I took my lips away from hers to say, "Life is so good right now. Does it ever scare you a little? You know, you get this feeling that for some reason it won't last?"

She gave me a small smile and answered, "Yes. I remember feeling that way right before . . . never mind." She took my hand and started walking.

"You were going to say before Sam phased, weren't you?" She looked at me and nodded. "It's OK, Leah. I get it. Sam and I just talked about that the other day. I know what you had was really intense, for both of you. And I know it is in the past." I hesitated trying to decide if I should tell her or not. I heard myself say, "Sam tried to fight it, Leah. The imprinting."

I could see the surprise in her eyes as she asked, "What? What do you mean?"

"He told me that when the elders explained to him about imprinting, he told them he wasn't giving into it. He wanted to stay with you, Leah. He told me that he really loved you, and didn't want to give you up. He stayed away from Emily for a week. He explained to me how much pain he went through by physically staying away from her. I won't go into the details, but he finally realized that, how did he say it? 'Imprinting is a strong bond that cannot be denied.' That's when he . . . well, you know, had to tell you. He said it killed him, and watching him say it, I know he was telling the truth."

Leah had tears rolling down her cheeks. "Why didn't he ever tell me that?"

"I don't know. He only told me because he wanted me to know that he doesn't hate my mom. He knows that Dad imprinted on her, and he says that he gets it. He knows it cannot be denied."

She nodded and looked out at the water. "I'm sorry, baby, I shouldn't have told you that." I put my arm around her shoulder and she laid her head on me.

"No, I'm glad you did. I guess I always thought it was so easy for him to walk away. I should have realized it wasn't." We stood there quiet for a few minutes, just looking out at the waves rolling in. Leah lifted her head and said, "Even though it hurt so much, I can now say it was for the best." She turned to face me. "I know now that you and I were meant to be together. I can't imagine living a day of my life without you, Embry Call-Uley." And then she smiled.

I took her face in my hands and put my lips on hers. She kissed me back with all of the love she was feeling. I couldn't imagine living a day of my life without her either. We were meant to be.


	39. Chapter 39

CHAPTER 39

Leah POV:

"Embry is picking me up and we are going to Sam and Emily's for supper with Embry's parents." I stopped and thought about what I just said to my mom. I looked over at her strange expression and added, "Yea, I just said all of that with a straight face. "

She laughed at that. "I'm so happy for Sam and Embry. I never thought things would turn out like this for them. When you first told me what you did, oh Leah, I was afraid for you. I think you got lucky, girl. This all could have gone so horribly wrong."

"I know, Mom. I have apologized so many times to both of them. But, you have to admit, I was right." I gave her sly grin.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Yes, but you are supposed to be learning a lesson here. Don't meddle in other people's lives! Just because you got lucky this time, doesn't mean it will always turn out this way."

"Yes, mother. I get it." And I did. I had learned my lesson and I had promised myself no more meddling. The last couple of weeks had been brutal, and I didn't want to go through that ever again. "I need to run upstairs and get my shoes before Embry gets here," I told her. I turned and ran up the stairs and grabbed my shoes then heard Embry's truck pull up outside. I looked out the window and smiled. I wondered if my heart would always beat a little faster when I knew Embry was close.

I ran out of my room and bumped right into Seth, who had the phone to his ear. "Umph! Geez Leah! Slow down a little! Sorry, Ashley. My sister just about knocked me down. Yea, Embry's here to pick her up and she's flying down the stairs to meet him."

"Sorry!" I called behind me as I did just what Seth described to Ashley: I flew down the stairs just as Mom was opening the door for Embry. I halted at the bottom of the stairs and slipped my sandals on, and turned my smile toward Embry.

"Hey, baby, you look gorgeous, as usual," he said as he walked my way. I met him and he put his arms around me and kissed me. "I like this dress on you," he whispered. I was wearing the black halter sundress that I had worn on our first date. It was the same dress that I had untied when we were making out in the truck and almost made him have a heart attack. I thought maybe I might have to try that again later.

He was wearing his black shorts and a new white t-shirt. I pulled back and eyed him up and down. "You look pretty hot yourself." He gave me his sexy smile. _Oh yea. This is my man. And he smells so good._

"Hey, do you know where my Pumas are? I would kind of like them back." I looked down and noticed he was wearing his black flip-flops.

"I'll bet you would," I said with a smile. "I'll go get them. Be right back." I headed back upstairs to Seth's room. I knocked and cracked open the door. "Seth?" He was lying on his bed with the phone propped on his shoulder and he was throwing a baseball up and catching it while he talked.

"Hang on," he said into the phone. "What?"

"Embry is here and he wants his Pumas back. Where are they?" He pointed over toward his closet, and I saw them lying on the floor. I nodded and walked over and picked them up. I couldn't help overhear his conversation.

"Sure, baby. You know I do. Do you think your mom would let me come over for a little while? Maybe we could take a walk, just the two of us . . ."

I shot Seth a look and put my free hand on my hip. He looked at me and gave me a grin with the shrug of his shoulders. I just shook my head and whispered, "Be good, little brother!"

He just grinned and said into the phone, "OK, baby. Give me a call back . . ."

I walked back out of his room and closed the door. What happened to my sweet, innocent little brother? He had matured about 5 years in the last 2 days! I made my way downstairs and held Embry's shoes out to him. "You should hear him on the phone up there! He's talking to Ashley and calling her 'Baby' and asking if he can come over and 'take a walk, just the two of us.' What have you done to my little brother?"

Embry smiled and put his head down. I could see his shoulders shaking. I knew he thought this was very funny.

"Yea, you hide your head and laugh. You're so proud right now, you can't stand it!" I said to him.

He looked up and me with his big grin and said, "Oh come on, baby. It would have happened sooner or later. Seth is a natural. I just gave him a little push." He had put his Pumas on and was just finishing tying them. He stood up and put his hands on my shoulders. "I'll talk to him and make sure he's treating her right, OK? I can keep an eye on him at school. I won't let him get too out of hand." He leaned in and put a light kiss on my forehead. "Come on, let's go."

"Mom! I'm leaving now," I called out. She was in the kitchen and she called back, "Have a good time!" I smiled as Embry held the door for me. He closed it behind us and he took my hand as we walked to the truck. He opened the truck door for me and I said, "My, what a gentleman. You're still in the doghouse, but you can keep trying."

He laughed and closed the truck door and walked to the driver's side to hop in. He started the truck and pulled away from the house. "So, I hope this family gathering isn't as emotional as the last one. I don't think I could do that again," I said to Embry.

"Me either!" he agreed. "I can't believe I'm driving to Sam's for a bar-be-que with them and my parents. I keep thinking I've somehow been transported to an alternate universe or something. Or I'm having this really long, weird dream and I keep waiting to wake up."

I laughed at him. It was like that. Everything had changed so drastically for him in such a short time. We chatted a little more on the way about his parents. "They don't even try to hide it from me anymore. I found them making out on the couch last night when I got back. Talk about awkward!" He pulled up to Sam's and parked the truck. Embry's parents weren't here yet.

We got out of the truck and I said, "I think it's sweet. They have missed 18 years together, Embry. They do have some catching up to do!"

"Yea, but they can do it while I'm not around! Shit. I didn't mean that like it sounded." I laughed at the look on his face.

"They probably do!" I said. He shot a look at me. "Oh come on, Embry. What do you think they think about us? Do they know that we 'do it?' Don't you think they suspect it?"

"Well, yea, but we're young. We're supposed to do that. They're old." That really made me laugh. We had made our way onto the front porch and I heard Sam say, "What's so funny?"

"Embry caught his parents making out on the couch last night, and he is grossed out. He thinks 'old people' don't do things like that," I explained as Embry glared at us.

Sam laughed and said, "Well, I'll be doing it when I'm old, bro!" He looked at me then back at Embry and added, "And I suspect you will, too." That did it. He finally smiled.

We walked into the house and Emily was in the kitchen making hamburger patties. I walked over to her and said, "I'll help," as I washed my hands.

"Thanks," she smiled. "So what was so funny?" I filled her in as I dried my hands then dug into the hamburger and formed it into a patty. She laughed and said, "Well, I hope old people do it! I'm planning on it!" Embry rolled his eyes and said, "OK, enough you guys!" We all laughed at that.

"Embry, they aren't that old, you know," I said to him. "Your mom is only 36, and your dad is what? 40? They're still young enough to have babies! You might have a little brother or sister someday!"

The shock on his face was priceless. "Shit. I never thought of that," he mumbled. I looked over at Sam to see some shock there, too.

"Come on, bro. You can help me get the grill ready," Sam said. He and Sam walked down the hall to go out the back door.

"Maybe that was too much reality for them?" I asked Emily. She laughed and answered, "Yea, maybe."

"Is this as weird to you as it is to me? Having the parents over for a cookout? Is Sam really ready for this?"

Emily looked at me. "He says he is." She added another patty to the plate. "We talked quite a bit about it, and he accepts that Embry's mom and their dad are together. He knows they imprinted and that's something you can't break." I remembered what Embry told me last night about Sam trying to fight that imprint. I looked over at Em and wondered if she knew that. I just nodded and put my patty onto the plate.

We worked together until the hamburger was gone, and I washed my hands as she threw the container away. Just then we heard Josh's truck pull up outside. I glanced at Emily as she ran her hands under the water, and I dried mine. "Here we go," I said. I walked over toward the door as they came up onto the porch.

"Hey! Come on in," I said. They each had a pie in their hands. "You made pie! What kind?" I asked as I led them toward the kitchen counter.

"Cherry. I hope that's OK?" Angie asked as she looked over at Emily.

"Of course! Thanks so much for bringing them," she replied. Josh and Angie each set their pie down on the counter and Emily walked around to hug each one of them. "I am so glad you could come today! The guys are out back starting the grill. Leah? Why don't you go and tell them Josh and Angie are here."

"Sure! Be right back," I answered. I turned and made my way down the hall and out the back door. I stopped for a moment and looked out back at Sam and Embry. They were standing in front of the grill, flames shooting up from the coals. Sam was making some large gesture with his hands and Embry was laughing, really hard. I took it in and savored it. These two guys had meant so much to me. I had loved Sam so much, yet now when I looked at the two of them, all I felt for Sam was brotherly love. I knew now that Embry was the real love of my life. I smiled and opened the door.

"Hey, you two!" I called to them as I walked down the porch steps. "Are you trying to burn the house down with that fire?" I asked Sam.

They both laughed and Sam explained, "Embry didn't think there was enough lighter fluid on there so he squirted a little more on and WHOOSH! He about burned my eyebrows off!"

I shook my head and laughed at the two of them. "Em sent me out to let you know that your parents are here. And Angie brought pie. Cherry pie!"

"Oh man, my mom makes the best cherry pie, bro. You'll love it," Embry told him. I watched Sam and noticed he had sobered quite quickly . Maybe I shouldn't have said, 'your parents.'

He looked at me and I gave him a small smile. He said, "Well, better go and greet my guests."

"I'll come with you," Embry said as he looked at me. I took his hand and we all made our way back inside.

Sam walked into the kitchen to stand by Emily and as he put his arm around her, he said to Josh and Angie, "Hey, glad you could make it." Josh was beaming he was so happy to be here.

"Thanks, Sam, for inviting us. We're very happy to be here," he said as he put his arm around Angie's shoulders. She looked at Sam shyly and added, "Yes, thank you for inviting both of us." He nodded.

"This is a great house you two have here," Josh said.

Emily smiled and said, "Thanks. We're really happy here. Would you like me to show you around?"

"Sure, I'd love to!" Josh accepted with a smile. He joined Emily as she showed him the kitchen and living area then as they were about to make their way down the hall, she said to Angie, "Come with us and see the baby's room!" She quickly made her way to them and they walked down the hall.

I looked over at Sam and noticed he was fiddling with the spatula that was in his hand. "You OK, Sam?" I asked.

His eyes met mine and I could see the hurt that he was trying so hard to hide. "Yep. I'm good. I better go back out and make sure the yard isn't on fire." He looked over at Embry and smiled then made his way down the hall. This was really tough for Sam, but he was really trying. I could see he loved his dad and was genuinely glad he was here, but he wasn't quite ready to be as forgiving as Embry.

I put my arms around Embry's waist and said, "How about you?" He put his arms around me and answered, "I couldn't be better. Unless you were kissing me," he added with a smile. He bent his head and I put my lips on his. He was rubbing my back where my bra strap usually was. I guess he remembered that I didn't wear one with this dress! I heard Emily talking and knew we were about to be interrupted, so I pulled back and stood beside Embry. He smiled down at me.

"We have a couple of rooms upstairs that I keep for storage, and one as a guestroom," she was saying. Embry's parents were nodding their heads and listening like they were really interested.

"Thanks for tour, Emily. The baby's room is going to be really nice. I would like to see it again when it's done," Angie said.

"Sure! You're welcome anytime," Em said.

"Hey, Dad. I'm heading out back to check on Sam. Want to come with me?" Embry asked.

His dad looked over at him and said with a big smile, "Yes, I would. Let's go." I smiled at Embry he led his dad down the hall to the back door. Angie looked over at me and raised her eyebrows and sighed. "It'll be OK," I assured her.

Embry POV:

I walked Dad out the back door and into the backyard. Sam was poking at the coals with a stick to spread them out over the bottom of the grill. "Hey Sam," Dad said as we walked up to him.

Sam looked up and answered his greeting, "Hey Dad." He was trying his best to sound friendly. It sounded a little strained to me, but at least he was trying.

"Emily just gave us a tour of your home. You have a real nice place here," Dad said. Sam accepted the compliment with a, "Thanks. We like it."

"You boys did a good job painting the baby's room. It looks real nice," Dad said. We both nodded and then it was quiet.

Sam put the grill top back on the grill and said, "I think these coals are about ready. Bro? Go ask Emily for the burgers, will ya?"

"Yea, sure. Be right back," I answered. I turned and went up the back porch steps. I hated leaving the two of them alone. Not because I was afraid Sam would deck Dad again, but because they both seemed so awkward with each other. But, they would have to get over that, I guess.

I walked into the kitchen to find Mom slicing onions, Leah slicing tomatoes and Emily stirring up the lemonade. They were chatting about maternity clothes. Mom was saying, "I didn't really start wearing maternity clothes until I was almost 6 months along. I was so young and skinny back then, and I didn't have much money, so I wasn't eating as well as I was supposed to." _Wow. That was hard to hear. _"Maybe that's why Embry's so skinny!" She patted me as I walked by her.

"Um, Sam is ready for the burgers," I said. Emily said, "I put them in the fridge to keep them cold." I nodded and walked to the fridge.

"Well, I am wearing maternity pants already! And I'm only 4 months," Emily exclaimed. I pulled the plate of burgers out of the fridge and quickly made my way out of the kitchen before they started talking about other girl stuff I didn't want to hear.

I walked out the back door to find Dad and Sam actually having a conversation. As I walked up to hand the plate to Sam, I heard Dad say, "I hope it goes well. I have no idea what kind of questions they will have, but I will answer them all honestly. I want to live here, if they'll let me. I want to try to lead a somewhat normal life, if that's possible." Sam nodded and began putting the burgers on the grill.

"Hey, Dad? Is it OK if I come with you tonight?" I asked. "I really want to be there for you." He looked over at me and said hesitantly, "I don't know, Embry. Sam? Do you think that would be OK?"

Sam looked at me, thinking about it. "Yea, I think so." I smiled and said, "Thanks." He gave me a nod.

While Sam grilled the burgers, Dad told him about our fishing trip yesterday. He told Sam how he wanted to spend some time alone with me to get to know me a little more, and he was surprised when I agreed to go fishing. "I remember going with my Grandpa Levi when I was a kid. I don't know if you remember, Sam, but I took you once when you were little."

Sam glanced over at him and said, "I don't remember that."

"Well, you were pretty little. We didn't stay long. You wanted to be in the water instead of fishing. You loved swimming when you were little. I remember taking you out to the beach and you always made a beeline for the water! It always scared your mom to death," he said with a chuckle. "I would chase you down and bring you back to her, and as soon as I set you down, off you would go. You were such a little rascal." I laughed at that as I remembered Quil doing that same thing with Claire. I looked over at Sam and saw a small smile.

"You'll be doing that soon with your own little boy or girl. That's hard for me to believe," Dad said in amazement. He was watching Sam turn the burgers on the grill and I could see how much he had missed him. I wished that Sam would turn and look at him now. I willed him to in my mind, but he just kept flipping burgers.

Finally, Sam turned to look at Dad. He gave him a smile as he said, "Yea, I know. Hard for me to believe, too."

Just then I heard footsteps on the back porch and turned to see Leah walking down the steps. She came up beside me and automatically reached for my hand. It still amazed me how we automatically reached for each other. It was like we were two magnets, always drawn to each other. "Hey Sam, Emily wants to know how much longer on the burgers?" she asked Sam.

He looked up at her and said, "About 10 more minutes," he answered.

"OK, I'll tell her. Smells good!" She squeezed my hand then let it go as she turned to go back inside.

Dad watched her walk away then looked at me and smiled. "I'll go see if they need any help putting the food out." He turned and made his way back into the house.

I went to stand beside Sam and I gave him a look. He looked over at me and said, "What? I'm being good!"

I laughed and said, "Yea, I know. Loosen up a little, bro. He's trying really hard."

He hung his head and said, "I know. " He turned a few more of the burgers. "It seems like the two of you are doing OK. You even called him 'Dad.' That didn't take long."

I shot him a look. _Is he fucking kidding me?_ "What? Does that bother you?"

He looked over and said quickly, "No, no. I didn't mean to . . . no it doesn't bother me. I guess I'm just surprised that you accepted him so quickly."

"Hey, I've been waiting for 18 fucking years to know my dad. I just decided I didn't want to wait any longer."

He smiled at that. "Yea, I get that. I'm glad, Embry. Here," he said as he handed me a big platter. "Hold this for me so I can put the burgers on here." I took it and held it while he piled the meat onto it. "OK, let's go eat."

We walked into the house and made our way to the kitchen. "Burgers are ready!" Sam announced. He set the platter onto the counter with the rest of the food. Then he walked over to Emily and gave her a big kiss. She smiled at him and told everyone to grab a plate and help themselves.

I pulled Leah over so we could be the first in line for the food. I filled two plates and sat down at the table. Leah followed with one plate and sat down beside me. Everyone else filled their plates and joined us at the table. Mom and Emily were talking about recipes for lasagna, and Leah joined in on how she found a good one on some internet site. Dad, Sam and I just sat there, shoveling in our food. The Uley men really needed to work on their communication skills!


	40. Chapter 40

CHAPTER 40

Embry POV:

We finished eating and the women sent us into the living room to watch football while they cleaned up. Apparently this is what 'normal' American families do on a Sunday evening. I've never been really into sports at all. When I was little, I would rather fish, or run in the woods, hang out with Jake or tinker with something like a dirt bike. Then when I got older, I was only into girls. Sam turned the TV on and found us a football game. We sat there for maybe 15 minutes then I looked over at Dad then Sam. They had their eyes fixated on the screen like they were really into the game, but I knew they were using it as an excuse to avoid talking to each other. I finally couldn't take it anymore. "So, are you two really going to sit here and pretend to watch this game just to avoid talking to each other? Do you have any idea how fucking stupid this is?"

They both turned their heads to look at me. Then Sam burst out laughing. "I fucking hate football, bro!" he said. I looked at Dad who had joined in the laughter. "So do I! I don't have a clue what's going on!" I shook my head and started laughing. "You guys are pathetic, man."

Sam shut the TV off and said, "Let's get out of here." We stood up and he told Emily, "Hey, we have all just decided how much we hate football! We're going outside." She laughed and nodded and went back to her conversation with Mom and Leah.

We headed out back and Sam walked Dad over to show him the garden and the apple trees. I stood there and watched them. I wanted to stay back and let them have some time. I was a little worried about the meeting with the elders tonight. I thought it was weird how they could decide whether my dad stayed here or had to live somewhere else. I knew that Sue was OK with Dad being here, and maybe Billy. But Quil, Sr., I wasn't so sure about.

"Sam!" Emily called from the back door. "Phone for you." Sam turned and looked at us. "Be right back." He jogged toward the back porch and disappeared into the house.

"How does Sam afford all this, Embry?"

I smiled. "The tribe provides this for him for being the Alpha. You have to understand, the tribe kind of looks at the pack as some kind of royalty or something. We provide them protection, and so they in turn help provide for us. This is Sam and Emily's house, but it is also our 'official' hangout. The tribe also provides money to buy food for us, cause, well, we eat a lot! So Sam and Emily keep it here, and Emily cooks for us as much as she can. Since she got pregnant, and she was dealing with morning sickness and stuff, we haven't been over as much."

Dad nodded as Sam walked back up to us. "Everything OK?" I asked him. He gave me a look that said he wanted to tell me, but he wasn't sure he should with Dad standing there. I pleaded with my eyes to just go ahead and talk.

He had his head down and his hands on his hips, which meant he was thinking. Finally he looked up and said, "Well, we don't know yet. Jake heard from Charlie that there was an attack of some kind last night. A couple of hikers were camping about 15 miles north of here, and they were found this morning, dead. They looked like they had been mauled by a bear, but Charlie commented that they had never seen a bear attack that grisly. Bella is on the phone with Carlisle right now to see if they know of any leeches in the area, and Jake wanted me to know cause he thought maybe we should put some patrols together to have a look around."

I nodded. "Is everyone coming here? Now?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Nope. I told him he had a good idea and that he should take care of it. He's going to put together a couple of patrols and he'll let me know what they find. He knows about this meeting with the elders tonight and he knows I want to be there for Dad." He shrugged and said, "Look, I need to keep pushing him towards taking Alpha. It's his fucking birthright, not mine. I'm getting kind of sick of holding his hand, you know? I got a baby coming, and I know I'll need to spend more time with Emily soon. It's time for him to step up."

"Yea, I know." I agreed with him, but I also knew Jake wasn't ready. I hoped this wouldn't get ugly between them.

I noticed that Dad had been listening very intently while Sam was talking. He looked at him now and asked, "What made Charlie comment that he hadn't seen a bear attack so grisly. What was different about it?"

Sam looked over at him. "Um, I don't know. He didn't say."

"Hey guys, isn't that meeting at 7? It's 6:35". I was wearing my grandpa's watch today. I felt like it was a special occasion: The first Uley Family Bar-be-que!

"We better go," Sam said. He walked back toward the house and Dad and I followed him. "Hey, Em?" Sam called to Emily. "Can I talk to you a minute?" She nodded and got up from the kitchen table where she was sitting with Mom and Leah. He took her back down the hall to talk to her in private.

Leah stood up and whispered to me, "What's that all about?" I leaned down to her. "I'll tell you later." I kissed her on the cheek and smiled. "I'm going to the meeting with Dad and Sam. We shouldn't be gone long."

She nodded. "OK. I'll hang out here with your mom and Em. I really hope things go well, Embry."

"Me, too," I answered.

Mom and Dad had their heads together in conversation, too. Sam and Emily came back into the kitchen and Sam announced, "Let's go!"

We said our goodbyes and headed outside. Dad volunteered to drive us in his truck. It was bigger than mine, and had a back seat. Of course, since I was the skinniest, I got stuck sitting in the back. Sam seemed to enjoy that. "Little kids sit in the back, bro!" I rolled my eyes and crawled in as Dad laughed.

Dad started the truck and headed for town. The tribal elders had their own meeting house. It was a very small brick building in the middle of town. It was built back when the reservation was first founded, and it had always been used just by the elders.

We drove there in silence, each in our own thoughts. Dad pulled the truck up to the curb and parked. He looked at both of us, took a deep breath and said, "Well, here goes. Wish me luck!"

I put my hand on his shoulder and said, "Good luck, Dad." Sam just smiled and got out of the truck. Dad and I climbed out and joined him as we all walked into the building together. All of the elders were here and they were standing in a circle just talking. Billy and Sue were laughing about something, but I noticed Quil's dad standing off to the side. I looked around and noticed that Jake wasn't here. He must be staying on top of the little 'problem' he called Sam about.

Billy looked up as we walked in and excused himself from the little group to wheel himself over to us. "Hey Sam, Embry," he said to us. We both greeted him and then he smiled as he looked up at Dad. "Joshua Uley. Man, it's been a long time." He stuck his hand out toward Dad. Dad smiled and took his hand and shook it. "It sure has, Billy. Too long."

Billy nodded and said, "Come on up here and have a seat and we'll get started. This won't take long." We all nodded and made our way to the front of the room.

I had only been in here a couple of times. I remembered feeling so out of place before. But now that I knew I was an Uley, I somehow felt a little better about being here. As we walked toward the front of the room I noticed the very old long wooden table that had been sitting there since the building was first put up. The table, and the five wooden chairs, had been made by the first elders that had lived on this reservation. There was a chair for each elder: Billy, who represented the Blacks; Quil, Sr., for the Ateras; Sue, who represented the Clearwaters now that Harry was gone, and Seth was still too young; Mr. Grey, Jared's grandpa and our history teacher at the rez school; and the last chair for the Uleys. Sam sat there. They had placed three folding chairs in front of the table. Dad and I sat down in two of them. I realized the other was for Jake, who was otherwise occupied.

The chair reserved for Billy had been moved back so Billy could wheel up to the table. "OK, let's get this started. Josh, I have shared with the others the little bit of information you gave me on the phone when you called to ask for this meeting. I will tell you that Jake has shared his opinion with me, and I will share that with them, too, later. But now, could you share with all of us your story?"

Dad nodded and said, "First of all, I would like to offer you all an apology. When I left town all those years ago, I left without telling anyone anything. I have apologized to my family, and now I feel I owe the same to you. I thank you for giving me the chance to explain everything to you now." Then he began his story. I had heard it all before, but I couldn't help but be completely engrossed as I heard it all again. I glanced up at Sam now and then, and I could see he was listening as intently as I was. The other elders were paying close attention, and I saw Sue wipe a tear away a couple of times. I knew that Leah had already shared Dad's story with her, but I supposed it was more emotional hearing my Dad tell it.

He finished by telling them how each year he ages, his phasing grows shorter and with more time in between. He told them how he has learned the rhythms of his body and can recognize the when the fever is coming and how much time he has to get away to a remote location. He also added that he had already scouted the area and had three locations in mind. Dad then told them that he would answer any questions they may have.

I looked at the faces before me and tried to read each one. They weren't giving much away. Billy asked a few questions about Dad's phasing, and about the reservation up North. Dad answered them and then waited to see if anyone else would say anything. Finally Quil, Sr. cleared his throat and asked, "That's a very interesting tale, Josh, but how can you be so sure that you won't be putting any of us in danger? How can we trust you?"

I shook my head in frustration and Dad placed his hand on my knee to calm me down. He removed it and said, "Well, Quil, I've been living in Port Angeles for about 9 years now. When I first moved there, it was touch and go for awhile, I won't lie to you. But, over the last 5 years, I have been tracking my phasing on a calendar and like I told you, it has lengthened out every year. As soon as the fever hits, I jump in the truck and head out to my remote location. When I phase back, I find my truck and go home." He took a deep breath and said, "Look, Quil, I love my boys, very much." He looked over at me then at Sam. "I would never, never do anything to put them in danger. I've missed so much of their lives already, and I don't want to miss anymore. I have thought about this for some time, and I feel that I can handle this now. I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

I saw Sue nodding her head. I knew she was touched by what Dad had to say. He hadn't said it, but I knew there was no way he would be around my mom if he thought there was a chance he would hurt her. I looked up at Sam. He had his head down. I hated that I couldn't see his expression.

"Any other questions for Josh?" Billy asked the other elders. Mr. Grey looked like he wanted to say something then changed his mind. Quil, Sr. had leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Billy looked down the table and said, "Well, since no one has any other questions, I'll ask you and Embry to step outside for a moment while we discuss what we've heard. I thank you so much for coming in, Josh. It really is good to see you again."

Dad stood up and I joined him. He looked up and down the panel and said, "Thanks, Billy. It's good to see you, too. I want to thank you all for seeing me today. I will stand by whatever decision you make." He looked at me and put his hand on my shoulder and we turned and walked out of the building.

As soon as we were outside he asked me, "Well? How do you think it went?"

"I don't know, Dad. I think Billy and Sue are OK with it, but Quil's dad didn't seem too happy. And I couldn't read Mr. Grey at all."

"Yea, that's kind of how I saw it, too."

Just then the door opened and Sam came out. We both looked at him in anticipation. "I don't know anything yet. They made me leave."

All three of us just stood there, heads down, silently waiting for the decision. Dad turned and walked to the truck then walked back. He did that two or three more times until the door opened and Sue said, "Could you all come back in, please?" We followed her inside and sat down in our original places.

Billy said, "We have discussed this and come to this decision. Josh, we will grant you a probationary stay of 6 months. We will meet again when those 6 months are up to discuss how things are working out. If at that time we feel that you are handling things alright, we will grant you permanent residence here and restore you to your rightful place here at the table." He smiled at Dad and added, "Welcome home, Josh."

Dad stood up and walked over to Billy to shake his hand. "Thank you, Billy. I'm so glad to be here." He went down the line and shook each hand and thanked them. I noticed Quil, Sr. shook Dad's hand then quickly turned and made his way out of the building. Mr. Grey also looked at Dad in a strange way, but I couldn't quite figure out what it meant. When Dad got to the end of the table, Sam walked around and hugged him. I shook my head and smiled. Bout fucking time.

They both walked over to me and I hugged Dad. Sue came over and said, "Josh?" He turned to look at her. "I'm really glad you're here. You have two great boys who deserve to know their father. I was pretty upset with Leah when she told me what she had done. But I have to say, I think it's going to work out alright." She smiled and hugged my dad then turned to me and Sam and hugged each one of us.

"Thank so much, Sue. You have a great girl there. Leah has guts, I'll give her that!" Sue laughed and agreed. "But she's real sweet and has a big heart. I'm real happy that my son has found such a beautiful girl to love." She smiled and reached over to touch my cheek. "And, I just want to say how sorry I am about Harry. He was a good man, Sue. A real good man." She gave him a sad smile and said, "Yea, he was. Thanks, Josh." She nodded to us and walked back to Billy.

"Well, boys, let's go!" I smiled to see Dad so happy. He put his arm around my shoulders as we headed for the door. We all hopped in the truck and Dad drove us back to Sam's to share the good news with Mom, Emily and Leah.


	41. Chapter 41

CHAPTER 41

Leah POV:

Emily stood up to answer the phone. "Hello?" Emily turned her body enough that I couldn't hear who she was talking to.

I looked over at Angie and could see how tightly she was wound. She had her legs crossed under the table and her foot was bouncing up and down. Her future depended on the outcome of this meeting. I knew how badly she wanted to marry Josh and be a family. She stared at Emily's back, waiting to see if there was news.

Emily hung up and came back to the table. "Does anyone want more coffee?" she asked us.

"No, I don't think I could stand any more caffeine right now!" Angie stated. She was right!

"Em, who was on the phone? Was it Sam?" I asked. The curiosity was killing me!

"Oh, no. I'm sorry! It was Jake. He said that he and some of the pack were going to meet with Sam in the backyard and he just wanted to give me a heads up. I'm not sure what that's all about. But he said that the guys should be home soon."

I shook my head. _Why didn't they call us? Why was the pack meeting here? Did the elders kick Josh out? Was Sam going to try to do something about it?_ I shouldn't try to speculate. It could only drive me crazy! "I better go out back. I'll let you know as soon as I know what's going on." They both nodded as I got up from the table . I walked to the back porch and looked out to see if anyone else was here yet. I didn't see anyone. I walked over to the firepit to sit and wait. The sun was going down and it was just beginning to get dark outside.

I heard some noise from the woods and saw Jared and Quil walk out wearing just their shorts. They waved as they made their way toward me. "Hey, what's up? Do you guys know what's going on?"

"Embry didn't tell you?" Jared asked.

"No, I haven't heard from him. Jake just called to tell Emily we were meeting out back here. Embry went to the elder's meeting with Sam and their dad. Is that why we are meeting? Did something go wrong?" Oh God, does Sam want us to do something about it?" I was peppering them with questions. I couldn't help it. All of a sudden I felt like I was freaking out!

"Leah! Stop!" Jared yelled at me. He smiled. "Look, Jake took us out on patrol earlier. They were some hikers camped up north that were killed. Jake heard from Charlie they thought it was a bear, but he thought we should check it out just to be sure. He told us to meet here so we could report to Sam about it, OK? Chill!"

I sighed and smiled. "Sorry, guys. I didn't realize how worried I was about the meeting with the elders. So, did you guys find anything?"

Just then Jake, Paul and Seth came running up. "Hey sis," Seth called. "They back yet?" Jake asked.

"No, not yet. Jake, what's going on? What did you find?"

"Not much. You hear anything from them yet?"

I shook my head. "Oh, here they are," Jake said. I turned to see Embry and Sam make their way across the yard. On instinct, I got up and walked to Embry and took his hand.

"Hey, baby," he said as he bent to kiss me quick on the lips. He led me to the firepit and we sat down. While everyone else was settling in, I quickly asked, "Can he stay? Tell me!"

He smiled and squeezed my hand. "Yes," was all he said. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. "I am so glad, Embry," I whispered into his ear. I forced myself to let him go and turned to listen to Sam and Jake.

"OK, listen up!" Everyone stopped talking and turned to Sam. "First of all, I want to let you know that the elders granted my dad a 6-month probationary stay here on the rez. After 6 months, they will all meet again, and if everyone is satisfied that things are working out OK, he can stay permanently and be reinstated as a tribal elder." He smiled at Embry and everyone cheered. I looked over at Embry's face and could see how happy the elder's decision had made him. I couldn't wait to talk to Angie!

"OK, now on to why you're here," Sam continued. "Jake? Tell me what the hell is going on."

Jake stepped up and looked around. I knew he wasn't real comfortable in this role, but at least he was trying. He told us about hearing from Charlie about the hikers that were camping and were found this morning. The official report was bear attack, but he didn't think it was a bear. "We didn't pick up any bloodsucker stink anywhere. But we did find a scent, something different. It was like . . .us, but not us."

"What the hell does that mean?" Sam asked impatiently.

"It was a wolf scent, Sam. But none of ours. It wasn't a bear, or a regular animal. I can take you there and you can smell for yourself," Jake said.

Sam was standing there staring at Jake with his hands on his hips. I looked at Embry and whispered, "Do you get this?" He looked at me and shook his head no. "But I know someone who might," he whispered back. "Jake?" Embry called. "Did they say how long the hikers had been dead?"

"Um, Charlie didn't say. The bodies were found early this morning." Embry nodded. I looked at him and was trying to follow his train of thought. _He couldn't think . . . no. Not . . . his dad?_

Jake said to Sam, "Carlisle would like to meet us at 10. Is that OK with you?"

"Yea. That gives me time to run up to the site. Jake, you can take us there. Embry, Leah you need to come too and catch the scent. We leave in five." Sam leaned over to Jake and said something then turned and jogged toward the house. I looked over at Embry and he said, "I gotta go talk to him."

"Maybe you should wait until we get back," I told him. He shook his head and said, "I can't." He was already up and moving. I followed him into the house.

Sam was in the kitchen talking with Emily. Their heads were close together and they were talking quietly. We walked right by them and Embry went to stand beside his dad. "Dad, can I talk to you a minute? Outside?"

His dad stood up right away and said, "Sure, son." Embry walked toward the front door and Josh followed him. I wanted to follow, but thought better of it. Angie looked at me and said, "Leah? Tell me, what's going on?"

I sat down next to her and told her quickly what was happening. "Embry and I have to leave in just a couple of minutes to go and pick up the scent." She nodded. I hated to worry her, but she had a right to know what was going on. I stood up and told her I had to run out back and get ready to go. I hoped I could roll up my sundress small enough to tie to my ankle!

Embry POV:

Dad and I walked out on to the front porch. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to say to him, but I had to know. Dad looked at me and asked, "What's going on?"

I took a deep breath and tried to steady my voice. As I kicked off my shoes, I said, "Dad, Sam is leaving in a few minutes to go up to that campsite. He wants Leah and I to go along to catch the scent that Jake told us about." I stopped and took off my t-shirt then said, "He said that the scent wasn't vampire, or bear. He said, it was like ours. Like a wolf, only not. He didn't know how long they had been dead, only that they found the bodies this morning. Dad, you didn't . . . I mean . . ."

His eyes grew wide as he realized what I was asking. "You think it was me?" He looked out at the woods for a moment then took a deep breath and said, "When I phased back on Thursday, I was 50 miles east of Port Angeles. That's 100 miles at least from here. I usually don't travel that far. I waited until Saturday to come here to make sure the phase was over and it was safe to come here." I could see the disappointment on his face.

_God, I'm an ass._ "I'm sorry, Dad. That was stupid. I shouldn't have said anything." I hung my head and felt horrible. I felt his hand on my shoulder.

"I get it, Embry. We still don't know each other that well. You had to ask. I understand." I looked up at him and he added, "But son, I want you to know something right now. I will never put you or your mom, or anyone in danger like that. I will put myself as far away as I can from here. I want you to trust me on this, OK?"

I nodded and he pulled me to him for a quick hug. He let go and said, "But, just because it wasn't me, doesn't mean it wasn't someone like me. It's unusual, but not impossible, I suppose."

Sam came out on the porch and said, "Hey, let's go!" I looked over at him and noticed he had shed his shirt and shoes and was ready to go. I nodded then said quickly to Dad. "What would we look for?"

"Well, I'm not sure. Like I said, I don't have any memory after, but in being around others, the hunting is very frantic. There's no careful planning or trying to hide anything." I nodded as Sam called again from the house, "Embry! Now!"

I handed Dad my t-shirt and shoes then took off my watch and handed it to him. I smiled at Dad and said, "The Alpha calls. Gotta go!" I turned to go then called, "Thanks!" over my shoulder.

"Be careful, son!" Dad called after me. I trotted around the house to the back yard. I caught sight of Leah jogging toward the woods. I knew she would want to phase in private, but if there were werewolves around, I didn't want her out there alone. I took off at a run after her. I came up behind her and called, "Leah!"

She turned to look at me and smiled. "Hey, I don't want you out alone tonight, OK?" She gave me a weird look and said, "OK." I took her hand and we walked into the woods together. She stopped and reached behind her neck to untie her sundress. I put my hands up to hers and said with smile, "Please, let me. I've wanted to do this all day."

She grinned at me and put her hands down. I untied the straps and pulled them down. I smiled and bent down to kiss her. She had her hands on my chest and she pushed at me gently. "I would love to take this further, but I really don't want Sam coming out here and screaming at us in front of everyone."

"You have a good point. OK, I'll be good," I said. I quickly took off my shorts and bent to roll them and tie them to my ankle while Leah pulled off her dress and underwear and did the same. I looked over at her as she worked and she looked at me and smiled. "This is weird," I said.

She laughed and said, "Yea, it is." We finished and I said, "Let's go!" We both took off and phased on the run. I watched as she ran ahead back to the yard where everyone was waiting. _God she's just as beautiful in wolf form as she is in human form. _

"_I need to talk to Sam as soon as he phases."_

"_Well, here he comes!"_

I looked and Sam phased on the run right toward me with Jake beside him. Leah and I joined them. As we were running I made my way toward Sam. _"Sam, I talked to Dad. He thinks it may be someone like him. He said that it's unusual, but not impossible."_

"_God, I never thought of that. It wasn't him, was it?"_

"_No, he phased back on Thursday 50 miles east of Port Angeles. He promised me that he would never have been here yesterday if he felt the phase wasn't over. He told me we had to trust him on that. He won't put us in danger. But he told me what to look for at the campsite."_

"_OK, let me know when we get there."_ I fell back in beside Leah and we ran at a good pace behind Sam and Jake to the campsite. I picked up the scent before we got there. Jake and Paul were right. It was very strange. Like us, but not like us.

"_Dad said when they hunt, it is very frantic. It is not planned in anyway, so I guess we should see a lot of blood and fur. Stuff like that."_ There were lots of prints, but some of them were from our pack. It was hard to tell the difference. As we nosed around I found bits of fur, some blood and shreds of clothing. I was pretty sure it wasn't bear fur. It smelled like wolf.

"_Alright, I've seen enough. Let's go." _Sam took off toward home and we all fell in line behind him.

Leah and I hung back behind Sam and Jake. She wouldn't want them to see her phase back. For some reason she was getting better about watching us phase, but she wasn't so comfortable with us seeing her. Sam and Jake phased back to human form just before we got to Sam's backyard. They quickly untied their shorts and pulled them on and walked toward the house.

I looked over at Leah. _"Well, what are you waiting for, baby? It's just you and me now."_

"_I'm worried about what we found, Embry. What if it was someone like your dad? They could be human now and walking around town and we would never know it. How will we know? How will we find them before they do this again?"_

"_I don't know. I guess I hadn't thought that far ahead. Maybe Dad can help us somehow. He may be able to recognize them if they were up north with him."_

"_Has this been a really strange day or what? Spending time with him as a family? Sam did really good today. I'm proud of him."_

"_Me, too, baby. He even hugged him after the elder's meeting, when we heard the decision. I think this will all work out."_

She nuzzled me and rubbed her head against me and I found it somewhat comforting and a turn-on at the same time. I really didn't want to think about us . . . doing that as . . . so I quickly phased back into human form. She phased then and stood there laughing at me. "You think that's funny, huh?" I pulled her to me and kissed her. She wrapped herself around me and kissed back. I felt the fire spreading through me quickly as our tongues played with each other and she put her hands in my hair and pulled. _Mmmmm, her skin touching mine. . . _I slid my hands down to grab her ass and . . .

"Embry! Leah! Come on! We're waiting on you!" _Shit! Sam_. I pulled away and yelled, "Yea, give Leah a minute to get dressed!"

I reluctantly let her go and she bent down to untie her dress. "Oh, look. Now it's all wrinkled," she muttered. I pulled on my shorts and she slid the dress over her head. "Here, turn around I'll tie if for you." She did and I quickly tied the straps together. She pulled on her underwear and took my hand and we ran out of the woods.

Paul gave me a sly grin as I walked by him and he shoved me. Jared laughed and said, "Sorry to interrupt, dude!" I noticed he was eating a piece of my mom's cherry pie. "That better not be the last piece, dude, or you will be very sorry," I threatened. He gave me a sheepish grin and shoved the last bite into his mouth.

I rolled my eyes and joined Leah by the firepit. "Alright, so, here's what we know," Sam started. He went over everything that we had learned tonight. "Jake and I will meet with Carlisle and we'll let you know if there is anything else. For now, we need to step up patrols again. Four at a time, 24/7. First patrol, Embry and Quil take the outer perimeter. Jared and Leah, the inner. Go now, and meet back here in four hours. Then Jake and Seth, you'll take the outer, and Paul and I will take the inner. Got it?"

_What the hell? Why would he separate me and Leah?_ Everyone nodded and stood up to go do as they were ordered. I went right to Sam. "What the hell, bro? Why did you separate me and Leah? We've patrolled together before. You gotta know I'm worried about her with whatever is running around out there!"

"Yea, I know. That's why I separated you. I didn't want you completely focused on Leah. Jared will protect her, bro. I trust him and you should, too. You are one of the best scouts I have, Embry. You and Quil work really well together, that's why I put you on the outer perimeter. Leah and Jared will be on the inner, which means she is closer to me if anything happens, which it won't. Look, bro. I'm the Alpha and I have to make decisions based on what's good for everyone, not just you. I can't play favorites. You should know that."

I put my head down and my hands on my hips. He was right. I knew that, but it didn't mean I had to agree with it. But he was the Alpha, so I would have to follow orders whether I liked them or not. I looked up at him and said, "Yea, I get it. Doesn't mean I have to like it."

He smiled at that. "No, you don't. But, I'm the boss, bro, so deal. Get your ass out there and I'll see you in four hours." He slapped me on the butt and walked away. I just shook my head and looked over at Leah. She was standing with Jared and they were talking. I trotted over and said, "I gotta go. Please be careful, OK?"

She smiled and kissed me on the lips. "Stop treating me like a girl! I'll be fine."

Jared smiled and added, "I'll look out for her. It's the least I can do since I ate the last piece of your mom's pie. Damn! That was good!" He laughed and ducked as I reached out to grab him. "Meet you out there, Leah!" He said as he took off for the woods.

I turned my attention to Leah. She smiled and said, "Really, it's OK. Do your job, and don't worry about me." I folded her into my arms and held her close. This was a lot harder now that I knew I loved her so much. I pulled back and kissed her. She smiled and stepped back then she turned and jogged toward the woods.

Quil walked up and said, "Come on, bro. We better get going." I nodded and we both slipped off our shorts and tied them to our ankles. I stood up and said, "Let's go." We both took off and phased on the run then headed out to follow orders.

Leah POV:

Jared and I were running the inner perimeter, which was more boring that the outer. It was smaller, so it was going around and around the same ground for four hours. Of course we didn't find anything, which was a good thing, but also added to the boredom.

"_So how are things with you and Kim? We don't see her around here enough. She needs to hang out with me and Emily more."_

"_She'd like that. We have school right now and she's really smart. Since she started helping me with my homework, I'm getting grades I never got before. I swear my teachers think I'm cheating!"_

"_Yea, I suppose they think the same of Embry. He's smart, just lazy. I'm guessing you might be the same."_

"_Hey, I heard that." _Embry. _"I'm not lazy. I would just rather do other things than homework. Like making out. That's a lot more fun than homework!" _Embry shared a memory of us making out on the couch and getting a little carried away.

"_Stop eavesdropping and behave yourself! You know the guys don't want to see that even though you love to share it! Go on, Jared."_

"_School's boring, you know? And like, what do I need it for? This is what I was born for, and this is all I need to know."_

"_But how are you going to support you and Kim? I assume you guys will get married, and have babies. How are you going to feed everyone? Where are you going to live? With your parents?"_

"_Geez, Leah. Way to be a buzzkill! I'm only 18! I'm not ready to get married yet."_

"_Maybe not today, but you will someday. Come on, Jared. You're smart, I know you are. Have you ever thought about being a teacher, like your grandpa? You know, the teachers at the rez school are all getting old. Someone is going to have to step up and take over. I decided that's what I'm going to do. I have been taking college classes online for awhile now working toward my teaching degree."_

"_Really? Wow. I didn't know that. That's cool, Leah."_

"_Yea, thanks. Think about Jared. I think you'd be really good at it."_

"_Me, a teacher. I can't wait to tell Kim that one!"_

"_Oh man! I love it! 'No homework today, class, cause it sucks! Do whatever you want!'"_

"_Embry will you knock it off! He would be a good teacher. I think he'd be really good with the younger kids."_

"_Yea, at least I could go out for recess!" Jared had to add. Boys. They just don't get it._

"_Oh we get it. We just don't like to be as serious as you," Embry inserted into my thoughts._

We continued around our circle until our time was up. _Thank God! I am so tired. _

"_Me, too. And I have school in the morning. And I still have homework that I didn't finish. Kim will be pissed at me."_

Jared ran ahead and phased at the edge of the woods. He pulled his shorts on and jogged up to Sam who was waiting for us in the backyard. It was starting to get a lot cooler now when the sun went down. I could see their breath as they talked. Not that it bothered me. My toasty temperature kept me from feeling the cold like I used to. I phased back into human form and dressed quickly then waited there at the edge of the woods for Embry.

Embry POV:

"Hey, baby." I heard him whisper in my ear as his arms went around me. Quil gave me a small wave as he walked by us and jogged up to Sam and Jared. I leaned back into him and let him hold me for a moment. I loved the feel of his arms around me.

He was nuzzling my neck and putting kisses on my throat. His breath would hit my ear just right and it sent shivers down my spine. "I really want you, Leah. I need to feel you, be with you," he was whispering. "You have no idea how hard it was to keep those thoughts hidden while we were out there."

I turned to him and said, "Let's go get this over with and find somewhere we can be alone." He grinned and took my hand and we ran to the others.

"How did the meeting go with Carlisle?" I asked Sam as soon as we got to him.

"OK. I tried to fill him in as best I could. He actually said he would like to talk to Dad."

I looked at him in surprise. "Why?"

"Well, if what we are dealing with is . . . like him, Carlisle would like to ask him some questions."

I nodded. "Is it OK if we go now? We're pretty tired."

"Yea, bro. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Um, thanks for coming today, by the way." I smiled and said, "Thanks for having us – all of us." I patted his shoulder as I walked by. I took Leah's hand and led her toward the house.

It was after one in the morning, but Emily was still up. I wasn't surprised. "Hey, Em. Did my mom take my stuff, or did she leave it here?"

"Um, I think she took it with her. Everything OK?" she asked. I could see the worry in her eyes. Sam was going out on the next patrol. I guess it must be hard to always be left behind.

"Yea, it's quiet out there. We're heading home. See ya, sis. Thanks for today."

She smiled at me. "You're welcome, little brother." She reached up and gave me a quick hug. She hugged Leah, too, who thanked her for everything. I smiled as I took Leah's hand and we walked out the front door to my truck. We hopped in and I looked at her. I pulled her to me and kissed her. _Man, I need her_. I wasn't sure why that feeling was so strong all of a sudden. I just knew that I needed her, and it had to be now.

I broke away and started the truck. I was trying to think where we could go. I was sure Mom was home, and I knew her mom was at her house. _Think, Embry, think._ "Embry? Are you OK?" Leah asked quietly.

I glanced over at her. "Yea, why?"

"You're driving like a crazy man! Slow down, will ya?" I looked down to see I was going 55 around a curve that is marked 30. I hit the brake and slowed down. "Sorry, babe, I guess I wasn't paying attention."

"Yea, I could tell. What is wrong with you?" She scooted closer to me and put her hand on my leg. I was already in some distress, and with her touching me like that, I felt like I might explode! I quickly spotted a road off to my right that I knew had a little private lane just off of it a mile or so down the road. I quickly turned the truck down the road. "Embry? Where are you going?"

"Um, taking the scenic route home," I lied. _Where it is? I know it's here_. It was one of my favorite make out spots. I finally spotted it and turned down the lane and as soon as we had the cover of the trees, I stopped and shut off the lights and the engine.

Leah turned to me and I could see the confusion on her face. I took her face into my hands and said, "Do you remember what I told you in the woods?" I leaned closer and said, "What I whispered in your ear?" I kissed her ear and down her neck. She turned her head to look at me. "I need you, Leah. Now. I don't know why, but I can't let you go right now."

She reached up to touch my face as she looked into my eyes. I can't explain the connection that I felt at that moment as our eyes locked. The fire that was always there whenever I touched Leah was spreading like wildfire through my body. I couldn't wait much longer. She leaned forward and put her lips very softly on mine. I closed my eyes and tried hard to contain the lust for Leah that was spreading through me. She pulled back and l opened my eyes to see her staring at me. "I want you, too, Embry. So much." Her desire was shining in her eyes.

She scooted back toward her side of the truck and pulled me to her. I scooted over toward Leah away from the steering wheel and pulled her in to my arms. Our lips met and neither of us could hold back any longer and we didn't. It was pure lust that took over as we devoured each other. Our hands and lips were everywhere. I was lost in Leah. I could feel her everywhere around me and through me. I had my hands wrapped in her silky hair and she had her head back so I could ravage her throat and nip on her shoulders with my teeth. Before I knew what was happening, she climbed onto my lap facing me. She reached up and untied her sundress and let the straps drop. I buried my face in her and heard her moan as she had her hands in my hair and she pulled. I kissed and teased her and heard her cry out . . . then she moved off of my lap and reached for the waistband of my pants. I quickly helped her and they disappeared onto the floor. She reached under her dress and quickly disposed of her underwear. Then she climbed back onto my lap and took me inside her. I gripped her and held on as she began to move. _Oh, that is so fucking awesome! _She moved slowly at first, then frantically and just as I didn't think I could hold on much longer, she cried out and shuddered and then I let go. We sat there panting, trying hard to catch our breath. Leah was laying on my shoulder and I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight. I just closed my eyes and tried hard to hold onto this feeling.

"Embry, what just happened?" Leah whispered into my ear. "I felt like some force had taken over my body or something. Does that sound weird?" She pulled back to look into my face.

"I don't care, baby. It was fucking awesome!" She laughed at me and I joined her. I loved the sound of her laugh here in my truck. It was so intimate. It was just us. She kissed me softly and laid her forehead on mine. "I feel so slutty . . . but I really liked that, Embry. A LOT!"

I laughed again and said, "It's not slutty to like being with me, Leah. We love each other. We belong together." I kissed her on the lips and she touched my lips with her tongue. "Oh baby, you have to give me a little time, you know, then I promise you, I can do that all over again." She gave me the sexiest smile I had ever seen and moved just a little. "Then again, it may not take that long," I said with a grin.


	42. Chapter 42

CHAPTER 42

Leah POV:

I opened my eyes and was sorry it was morning. I smiled as I stretched and remembered what Embry and I did last night in his truck. I wasn't sure I could ride in that truck again without smiling! It was so raw and so emotional. I had never felt like that before in my life, and it scared me a little. Not what happened, because that was . . . well, Embry was right. It was fucking awesome! But how I felt so driven . . . how I _needed _it so badly. That was something that I would never get used to.

I laid there a little while longer then decided I should get up. I still had that paper due on Wednesday, and it was now Monday, and I had a lot of work to do if I was going to hand it in on time. I looked at the clock. It was after nine. Embry would be in school now. I smiled as I thought of him trying to concentrate on trig. I would bet he was having a tough time focusing.

Embry POV:

I glanced at the clock. 9:15. _God, this day was going to last forever!_ I stared at my Trig book and tried again to work the problem. I could not get what happened with Leah last night in my truck out of my mind! Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her right there in front of me, and I could still feel her moving . . .

"Mr. Call! Class is over. Didn't you hear the bell?" Mrs. Newly was asking me. I looked up at her and said, "Oh, um, I guess I was really concentrating on this problem."

She laughed at that. "I'm sure you were," she threw at me over her shoulder. I gathered up my books and walked quickly out to the hall. _Man, focus here! You gotta make it through the day!_

Leah POV:

I sat there staring at the screen on my laptop. _What was I writing about again?_ For some reason, I had no idea. I shook my head and got up to fix myself some lunch. _Maybe that will help me concentrate_. I had been sitting at the kitchen table trying to write my paper. I got up and went to the fridge to pull out stuff to make a sandwich. I just stood there with my hand on the fridge door handle. I closed my eyes and could feel Embry as he kissed me and teased . . . _Stop it, Leah! Sandwich. That's what you want: a sandwich. Yea, right. That's not what I really wanted._

Embry POV:

I sat there at the lunch table just staring at my food. I heard Quil say, "You OK, dude? You sick or something?"

I glanced over at him and said, "No. But you just wouldn't understand, bro."

"What's that supposed to mean? Talk to me, Embry. What's wrong?"

I leaned forward and looked at him and said, "It has to do with sex, Quil. No offense, but you're not really an expert in that area."

"Well, just because I haven't done it, doesn't mean I don't know about it," he answered. I raised my eyebrows at him and he said, "I certainly see enough of it when I'm patrolling around all of you guys."

I laughed and had to admit he was right. "OK, you have a point." I leaned forward so I could keep my voice down. "Last night after we got back from patrol, you know I went up behind Leah and put my arms around her." He nodded so I went on, "Well, I got this feeling that I just had to . . . have her, you know? Like really strong. Like if I didn't, I would die! I mean, I always want Leah, but I've never felt it that strong. It was . . . overwhelming. I took off like a crazy man in the truck trying to think of a place for us to be alone. I ended up pulling down this little lane that goes into the woods, and we just . . . well, it was wild. Like uncontrollable. She felt it, too. And now I can't get it out of my head! It was really hot."

Quil just sat there listening and trying not to show any emotion. "Well, this isn't awkward," he said with a strained smile. "Remind me not to patrol with you after school."

"Hey, you asked!" I laughed at the look on his face. I knew it was going to be hard for him to look Leah in the eye for awhile.

"So what's your problem, dude? You had hot sex with Leah. We should all have such problems." He took a bite of his hamburger.

"That's not my problem. My problem is . . . how bad I wanted it. How I can't get it out of my mind. How I'm afraid I'll want to jump her bones every time I see her! That's my problem."

He put down the hamburger and said, "Look, dude. So you had a wild night. I guess it happens. Just ask Paul. I swear him and Rachel are freaky! Anyway, maybe it's because you two have been holding back a little, and last night you just let go. It doesn't mean it's always going to be like that. Or maybe it's because you were so worried about Leah last night while we were patrolling. You're going to have to get over that because she is not only your girlfriend, she is a member of the pack. You need to start treating her like you did before you loved her, you know?"

He was right about that. I did treat her differently now. I nodded and said, "Yea, I know I do that. She hates that, too." I smiled. I picked up my hamburger and took a big bite. I was freaking out over nothing. I swallowed and said, "Thanks, Quil. I think you helped me after all."

"Good. But from now on, go to Paul or Jared or Sam for your sex advise. I know I told you that I don't 'see' girls right now because of Claire, but I am still a guy, and I do have to take my share of cold showers after hanging out with you guys!" I laughed and shoved him. Man, I really did feel sorry for him.

Leah POV:

I had my lunch, I tried to do research for my paper, I did laundry, I cleaned all the bathrooms, and I was now laying on the couch. Nope. Still thinking about it. What was going on here? Embry and I had sex lots of times before last night and I never freaked out like this. Well, except for the first time, but that was for a different reason.

Just then, Seth came bursting through the door. He slammed the door behind him. I sat up and said, "What's with you?"

He plopped down in the chair and glared at me. "Women. I just don't get it! Ashley is pissed at me, but she won't tell me why."

"How do you know she's pissed at you?" I asked him.

He looked at me and said, "Because she won't talk to me. I walked her to class this morning and she barely said two words to me. Then at lunch, I asked if I could sit with her and she shrugged her shoulders and said, 'Yea, whatever.' I sat with her and she talked to her friends and completely ignored me! Friday was so cool, and I really thought she liked me! I went over yesterday and we went for a walk together. We held hands and we talked about stuff. I thought we were getting along fine, then today, nothing. Now I know why I stayed away from girls."

I smiled at him. Oh, poor Seth. "OK. Yesterday when you went for your walk, did you kiss her?"

He glanced at me and said, "Uh, yea! That was the whole purpose of going over there!"

"OK, now I get it. Remember when I told you to be careful with this girl's feelings? When Embry was teaching you all this stuff, did he mention that you don't go out with a girl _just _to make out? I think she really likes you, too, but did you make her feel like you were there to make out and not to just be with her?"

He hung his head as he thought about what I just said. "I don't know, maybe." He looked at me. "I mean, I did talk to her. I tried to get to know her a little better. And I thought she wanted to kiss, too! She sure acted like it. She didn't push me away."

I shook my head and said, "Little brother, you still have a lot to learn about girls. Girls like to make out, but they don't like to think about it as just making out. Girls are all about feelings, and emotions. She wants to feel that you want to kiss her because you like HER, not just kissing. Get it? I think you might be moving a little too fast for her. A kiss is one thing, but making out is something all together different. If you really like her, back off just a little. Do something romantic. Like, write her a note telling her you are sorry for coming on so strong. That it's just because you like her so much. Something like that. Tomorrow, offer to walk her to class and smile and be nice. Compliment her on her clothes, or her hair. Let her talk about her. Girls like to do that. Just slow down a little, and you'll be OK."

He nodded and say, "Yea, I guess. But, Leah, I really like kissing." I laughed at that. "Yea, Seth, I get that. I like it, too! Why do you think you're always yelling at me and Embry?" He rolled his eyes at me and got out of the chair and headed to the kitchen.

I sighed and thought maybe I should have Embry talk to him about this physical thing that we wolves seem to have. I felt bad about that. He's only 15. He shouldn't have to be dealing with all of that until he was much older. It was hard for him to be so young and have to go through this.

Embry POV:

School was finally out and I was at Jake's working on the engine for the Jeep. I finally found something to keep my mind occupied! I was so close to finishing it. "Hey, dude," Jake said as he walked in the garage. "How's it going?"

"I think this engine is almost ready to go into the Jeep. I have to finish one more thing then I thought, maybe tomorrow we could put it in?" I asked him.

"Sure, sure," he answered.

We worked until a little before six, and then we knocked off for dinner. Bella was cooking for Jake and Billy tonight at their place, so I knew Jake was in a hurry to get inside. I was kind of in a hurry, too. I really missed Leah and wanted to get over to her place. Then I had to patrol tonight at ten.

"See ya later, Jake!" I called as I made my way to the truck. "See ya," he called back as he headed for the house. I slammed the truck into gear and took off for Leah's.

Leah POV:

I was pacing in front of the door like a caged tiger. I knew that Embry usually quit working at Jake's around six. Mom was at work and Seth had just left to patrol until ten. Of course. The one night I thought maybe we shouldn't be alone, Mom and Seth leave me here . . . all alone!

I heard his truck pull up outside and I about jumped out of my skin! I turned and looked at the door and waited. I watched as the doorknob turned and the door opened, and there he was. I felt a smile spread over my face as he picked me up in his arms. He turned me around and then set me on my feet. He took my face in his hands and said, "I haven't been able to get you out of my mind, Leah."

"Me, either. I have been going crazy all day," I said with a smile. He put his lips on mine and that's all it took. Flashes of last night went through my mind at record speed. I clung to him and heard a small moan escape from my throat. He had his hands under my shirt and was pushing it up so he could run them over my skin. He backed me up until I was against the front door and I pulled and pulled at his t-shirt until I got it off over his head. I put my lips on his chest and sighed as his hot skin burned my lips. He pulled my shirt off and kissed my neck and shoulders. He pulled away for an instant and looked at me. I could see the fire in his eyes. I could feel how badly he wanted me as he pressed into me. He smiled and said, "I guess I don't have to ask if anyone else is home."

I laughed and said, "No, it's just me. And you." He smiled at that. I held out my hand. He took it and I led him upstairs to my room. I didn't know what was happening between us, but I wasn't ready for it to stop just yet.

Much later, we were sitting on my bed, Embry at the head of the bed, and me towards the foot, eating cold leftover pizza out of the box and I was telling him about Ashley being upset with Seth. I was wearing Embry's t-shirt because he said I was distracting him from his food. He was wearing nothing but the sheet over him, and it was till distracting me!

I told him what I explained to Seth about girls. "Maybe you should talk to him about . . . you know, how as wolves, we are more physical? I hate that he has to deal with this at 15, but I feel like now that he has had a taste of kissing, he might be in a hurry for more."

He nodded and said, "Yea, I should talk to him about that. I didn't have this problem until I was almost 17. Think of how many more girls I could have made out with if I had phased when I was 15?"

I smacked him on the arm and he just laughed. He finished off the last piece of pizza and put the box on the floor. He laid back into the pillows and looked over at me. I smiled and he smiled. I really loved these intimate moments with him. _Just the two of us. No one else around. Nothing to think about but each other. I wonder if this is what it would be like to be married. _

"What are you thinking over there? You have such a beautiful look on your face," he said.

"I was actually wondering if this is what it's like to be married," I told him. His face lit up. "Oh, yea?" I nodded and moved over to lay down beside him. "Yea," I said as I put my head on his chest. "I think I could really get used to this."

He was running his hand through my hair as he said, "Me, too, Leah. I want that more than anything. I have even been trying to plan things out so I can be sure that it will happen someday. Do you want to hear my plan?"

"Yea, I do," I said. I smiled as I thought about the lecture I had just given Jared.

"Well, first I graduate high school in January. Make Mom happy. Then, Jake and I pick up more work at the garage and we keep stashing money until we have enough for a down payment on the shop. Mr. Collins told Jake the other day that he is ready to sell his shop and he wants to sell it to us. So, all we have to do is come up with a down payment, and he will sell it to us on land contract. We are shooting for that to happen next summer."

I sat up and looked at him, "Really? That is awesome, Embry! I had no idea."

"Yea, it's cool. Mr. Collins said that if he has to sell the shop, he wants us to have it because he knows we will take good care of it. I think he almost made Jake cry! So, anyway, a year from now, we move into the new shop. You will keep going to school until you have your degree. How long will that take anyway?"

"Um, well, at the rate I'm going, I won't be able to teach for another 3 years at least. If I could take a full class load year round at the community college, I might be able to get it sooner."

He nodded. "Well, you could keep going to school even after we were married, so I guess my plan would still apply. I want to get married a year from this Christmas. It's still hard to imagine waiting that long, but I want to be able to support you, and I think when we get the shop up and running, I should be earning enough . . ." I cut him off with a kiss. He took my breath away! I had no idea he had been planning all of this. He was seriously planning to marry me!

I pulled away and smiled at him. "I can't believe you really have this planned out."

He smiled and I thought I would melt. "I told you, Leah, I was going to marry you someday. Did you think I wasn't serious about that?"

"Well, yea, but I guess I didn't know how serious. I like the plan, by the way, in case you wanted to know." I reached up and stroked his cheek with my finger.

He smiled and said, "I was planning on running it by you. It's not written in stone or anything, you know. You can have some input."

"Oh, thank you. That's so generous of you! Does this mean we are . . . engaged?"

"Well, not officially. I mean, I don't have a ring yet, and I haven't really proposed. But I will," he added with a grin.

I picked up my pillow and gently hit him with it. He took the pillow from me, threw it on the floor then reached out for me. He rolled me over and looked down into my eyes and said, "I love you so much, Leah. I don't know how I'll wait that long to marry you."

"Me either, Embry. I think I would marry right now, at this minute." He leaned down and kissed me and I was sure that I would run off with him right now and worry about everything else later.

Embry finally pulled himself out of bed and put his boxers and shorts back on. I got up and picked his t-shirt up off the floor and instead of handing it to him, I slipped it on. I was planning on getting some sleep after Embry left because I was on patrol at 2 a.m. I turned to him and he smiled and said, "I really don't want to leave you."

I smiled and walked over to him and he took me in his arms. "It's just for a little while. I'll see you tomorrow." He kissed me then let me go.

"I better get going. I think I'm with Paul tonight which is a good thing. He won't care what's going through my mind." I smacked him on the arm. "Embry! Come on, I hate seeing that look on his face when he looks at me. It's creepy!"

He laughed and said, "OK, I'll try to be good. But I can't promise. Leah, you are just too hot!" He started to reach out for me again and I backed up and said, "Oh no, you don't! You'll never make it on time if you start that again!" He laughed as he walked toward the door. He stopped and turned to look at me.

He smiled and I thought how I wanted to capture that smile as a permanent memory. Like a picture. "See you later, baby."

I smiled and answered, "Yea. I love you."

"I love you, too." He gave me a wink and closed the door. I stood there for a moment then made my way over to the window. I watched him walk to his truck. He must have sensed me watching him because he stopped and looked up at the window before he got into the truck. He waved and smiled and I did the same. Embry got in and started the engine and pulled away. I watched the truck taillights until they disappeared down the road. I turned away from the window and crawled into bed. I put my face on the pillow that Embry had just left and inhaled deeply to find his scent. I was asleep in no time.


	43. Chapter 43

CHAPTER 43

Embry POV:

As I left Leah's, I had a feeling she was watching me. I looked up to her bedroom window and saw her standing there. She smiled and waved at me and I did the same. _Man, I love that girl! _I climbed into my truck, started the engine and took off for Sam's.

I was supposed to be there at ten, and I was cutting it pretty close. Sam would probably chew my ass out, but I didn't care. It was definitely worth it. Thoughts of being with Leah went running through my head. I couldn't get enough of her! I was really losing it.

I pulled up to Sam's and got out. I threw my shoes in the truck and closed the door. I suddenly saw Leah picking up my t-shirt and slipping it over her head and down her body. Just knowing she was lying in her bed right now wearing it and nothing else . . . _OK, you better get a grip._ I slammed the door shut and jogged around to the back of the house.

Paul was already there, so I knew I was really late. He was always late! "Bout fucking time! I've been waiting for ten minutes."

"Oh, chill, Paul. Ten minutes out of your life. If you knew why I was late, you'd be fine with it."

He grinned and said, "Getting some action, bro?"

I grinned back and said, "Oh yea, dude. And it was hot. Believe me, it took every ounce of strength I had to get out of that bed and drive over here."

"You were in her bed? Dude, that is hot!" he said. Just then Seth and Jared came jogging out of the woods.

"Hey, shut up around Seth, OK? He doesn't need to hear about it," I warned Paul. He nodded. "Anything we need to know about?" I asked them when they were closer.

They both shook their heads. "Sam said that the Cullens will be running patrols, too, so that should take a little of the stress off us," Seth told us. "I think he said that Emmett and Jasper are out tonight, and Sam gave them permission to cross the line if they needed to. We have that same permission."

"Good. This has to be tough on you guys that aren't in school. You have to run twice as many patrols as we do," I said to Paul.

He just shrugged. "It's OK. We do what we gotta do. I just wish we'd come across the fucking thing that did this." That was Paul. Always looking for the fight.

Seth sighed. "I'm tired. See you guys tomorrow!" He took off toward home.

Jared added, "Sam and Quil are already out there, and I guess Leah and Jake will come out later."

I nodded as Jared turned to go. "See you tomorrow at school!" I called after him. He held up a hand as a wave as he ran.

I looked over at Paul and said, "Well, let's go!" We stripped down and phased and went running toward the woods.

"_You guys pick up anything new?" _I sent out to Sam and Quil.

"_No, not yet, bro," _Sam returned_. _

Paul and I ran along at an easy pace. No need to be in a hurry. Four hours was a long time to run around in circles. I tried very hard to stay focused on my job and not what I had been doing for the last few hours, but I was finding it very difficult. Flashes crept creeping in and I would quickly push them out. I kept telling myself to focus, focus, focus. It was like a chant in my head as I ran.

"_Geez, bro, chill! What's got you so worked up?" _

"_You don't want to know, Sam. Please don't make me go there. It' already weird enough that Leah used to be your girlfriend, and now she's mine. You don't want to see what's got me worked up!"_ As hard as I tried, I couldn't keep a quick scene of what happened in the truck between Leah and I from flashing through my mind. _"I need something else to think about. Anything else!" _I started reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in my mind.

"_Whoa. Dude. That was really hot! Who knew Leah was like that? " _

"_Shut the fuck up, Paul," Sam growled._

"_I take it she wasn't like that with you, huh Sam?" _Paul was really asking for it.

"_SHUT THE FUCK UP, PAUL! That's an order!"_

I looked over at Paul and I swear, even in wolf form, I could see the smirk on his face. _"You're in for an ass-kicking, Paul, I swear you are."_

I got tired of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, so I moved onto the alphabet then I went to Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Finally, I felt like I pushed it away enough to again try and focus on why we were out here. I thought about asking Dad to come out and take a look at the campsite. I didn't know if he could help, but it was worth a shot. Maybe he should also drive around LaPush and see if he recognized anyone.

"_Now you're finally thinking, bro. Those are good ideas. Especially having Dad drive around and see if recognizes anyone. I can't believe I didn't think of that."_

"_That's because you're still holding back when it comes to Dad. I know you tried hard with him at the cook-out, Sam, and I was really proud of you. Of both of you. But you have a ways to go before you totally trust him, and I get that."_

"_Yea, I guess. I want to trust him, but . . . what the . . .?"_

"_What is it?"_

I focused on Sam and what he was seeing in his mind. _"Couple of teenagers, down by the lake. Skinny dipping? Isn't it a little cold for that?"_

"_Let's go take a closer look!"_

"_Geez, Paul! Don't you ever get enough? I mean, you and Rachel are like rabbits, dude."_

"_Shut up, Quil! Jealous cause you only got a toddler to play with?"_

"_Enough you guys! Focus on why we're out here, will ya?" _Sam had edged closer to see what was really going on at the lake. I finally caught up to him so I could see for myself.

There were two people, a guy and girl, and they were older that we originally thought. They were naked and they were just having a little fun. I didn't think we should be watching. I wouldn't want someone spying on me and Leah.

"_Come on, I don't think we should be watching, do you, Sam? They're just having a little fun."_

"_Yea, but maybe they should be warned that it's not safe to be out here right now with something running around killing people."_

"_I don't want to interrupt them right now, do you?" _I put my head down. They were going at it. This was really awkward. Paul seemed to be enjoying it though.

"_OK. Let's just circle around here for awhile and make sure there's nothing in the area. We don't have to watch. Do we Paul?"_

"_Geez, you pansies! If they didn't want people to watch, they should stay at home. Or in their truck."_

"_Shut the fuck up, Paul! I mean it!" _I was ready to kick the shit out of him. I snarled at him and heard Sam tell me to wait until later and he would help me.

We circled around the area to make sure there wasn't anything else around. Sam stopped. _"You guys smell that? That scent?"_

I did. The same scent as before. Just then, a scream ripped through the quiet night. We turned and ran back toward the lake. I smelled vampire stink, too. Cullen stink. Emmett and Jasper were close, too. We all focused on the lake area. It only took us all seconds to arrive after we heard the scream. We found the guy on the ground, in a pool of blood. I wondered how Emmett and Jasper would react to that. Emmett bent down to take a look then said, "He's dead." He stood quickly and looked at us. _Wow! He completely ignored the blood. Amazing._

"_Where's the girl?" _I wondered_. _We quickly tried to pick up the girl's scent so we could find her. Sam said,_ "They headed back to the north. Embry, Quil go northwest, Paul and I will go northeast."_

We headed out and Emmett and Jasper went right between us straight north. We followed the scent and felt we were getting closer when we heard another scream. Quil was just ahead of me as we entered a small clearing. He pulled up and stopped and I ran into him._ "What the fu . . " _

He moved and I looked out into the clearing to see the girl lying on the ground. She was alone and still alive, naked and completely terrified. She was bleeding from some cuts and scrapes, but other than that, she didn't look hurt too badly. Jasper moved over to her and bent down. I remembered Bella telling me that Jasper has some freaky vampire power that he could help calm people. He must be using it on the girl because she wasn't screaming anymore at the sight of two vampires and four very large wolves!

Sam and Paul were quickly scouring the area for a scent. "_North!" _We immediately ran north following the scent. Emmett came running with us and Jasper stayed with the girl. This thing was fast – at least as fast as a vampire. I noticed Emmett was running higher in the trees to try to get a visual. I knew we would hit water before too long and I wondered if this thing could swim like the vampires did.

We reached the edge and there was nothing but water. The scent was gone. Emmett did a perfect swan dive and disappeared into the water. We scoured the area to try and pick up the scent, but it had disappeared. It must have gone into the water. There was nowhere else to go.

"_Embry, Quil, you two wait here for Emmett. Paul and I will scout around." _I looked over at Quil and sat on my haunches. I could use a break. I stared out at the water and thought about the girl. I hoped she was alright, but would she remember what she saw?

It didn't take long for Emmett to reappear over the cliff edge. He looked at us and shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't see anything. Whatever it was, it's gone. I'm heading back to the clearing to see if Jasper is still there." I nodded and he took off.

I thought about what Emmett had told us so Sam would hear. _"Shit! How could this thing just disappear? We haven't picked up anything. Let's head back toward the clearing and see if we can pick it up anywhere else."_

Quil and I got up and ran back toward the clearing. It was empty now. Jasper and Emmett must have taken the girl with them. I figured they would take her to Carlisle. I knew he would take care of her. Funny that I trusted the vampires to take care of the human. Something just wasn't right about that!

"_I was thinking the same thing, bro! It's too weird trusting vampires." _Quil thought.

From the clearing we fanned out to try and pick up the scent again. Nothing. It was almost time to change patrols, so Sam wanted to head back. Sam led the way with Paul right behind him, kissing his ass as always, and Quil and I lagged behind a little.

"_Are we having a test tomorrow in Government? I can't remember if it's tomorrow or Wednesday." _Quil was a little more diligent student than I was and he paid attention to that kind of stuff.

"_Well, she said Wednesday, which means you should be ready tomorrow. She's been known to pull that shit before."_

"_Really? There's some kind of monster out here killing people that we can't find and that's what you're worried about? A fucking test?"_

"_Come on, Paul! I'm just as frustrated as you are. But, I have other things on my mind, too, and one of them is getting grades good enough so I can get out of school in January. Then I can be a pain in your ass all the time!"_

"_Yea, that's just what I need."_

We trotted back to Sam's and waited for Jake and Leah to arrive.

Leah POV:

I hauled my tired butt out of bed and dressed quickly for patrol duty. I made my way quietly out of the house and ran for Sam's. I went around to the back of the house to wait for Jake. No one else was there yet, so I sat down and let my thoughts drift to earlier tonight. I smiled as I thought about Embry telling me about his plan to marry me. I knew I wanted to marry him, too, more than anything. I was so amazed at the turn my life had taken. Just a few months ago I was so miserable and sure that I could never be happy again. And now . . . well, now, I was so excited at what the future would bring.

Just then I saw him. Embry was walking out of the woods talking to Quil. He looked up and saw me and came running. I stood up and waited for him. It amazed me how I felt so giddy just at the sight of him! He pulled me into his arms and held me tight. A little too tight. Like he was worried about something. "Embry? What's wrong?"

I pushed him away to look at his face. "You found something, didn't you?"

Sam and Paul had made their way to us so I asked Sam, "What's going on?"

"Jake here yet?" Sam asked as he looked around.

"Yea! I'm here," Jake called as he came running up. "Sorry I'm late. What's up?"

Sam took a deep breath then launched into an explanation of everything that had just happened. I closed my eyes when I thought about how this girl must be feeling. To watch in horror as this thing killed the guy you were with? Especially in such an intimate moment. He went on to tell us that this thing just disappeared. _What? How could it just disappear?_

"So, Jake, Leah, it's your patrol, but I don't feel good about you two being out there alone. I'm keyed up enough to go back out with you. Embry and Quil need to head home. They have school in the morning. Paul, you go catch some sleep then you can relieve me later. I think maybe the Cullens will send someone back out, too. Emmett and Jasper were out but I didn't get a chance to find out if they were coming back out after they took the girl to Carlisle."

I could see the anger on Embry's face before he erupted. I put my hands on his arm to try and calm him, as he said, "There is no way in hell I'm letting Leah go out there without me. I'm in." Sam looked over at Embry and glared at him.

"You think I can't protect her, bro? It's my job to protect her!"

That did it! Embry put his finger in Sam's chest and yelled, "It's not your job anymore to protect her! It's MY job now!" Sam put his hands on Embry's chest and shoved him back. "Back off, little brother!" he shouted.

I stepped in between them and yelled, "ENOUGH! What the hell is wrong with you two? Why do you both think I need protecting? I can't stand you both treating me like this! You don't treat Seth this way, or Quil, or ANYONE ELSE! Either I'm a member of this pack, or I'm not, and right now . . . I'm not! I'm out of here!"

I took off running as fast as I could. I knew I was faster than any of them, and I was counting on that to take me away from both of them. I couldn't stand them fighting over me! I was very surprised to hear someone running up behind me. "Leah! It's me, Jake! Stop!" I slowed down so Jake could catch up to me. We jogged to a stop near my house.

"What's going on here, Leah? Would you really turn your back on us? Would you really quit the pack?" he asked me.

"No, I don't know, Jake. I don't even know if I CAN quit the pack. I just had to get away from the two of them. I just can't take them treating me like I can't pull my weight. Like I'm some . . . fucking idiot, or something," I told him.

He smiled and said, "Yea, I get that. I would hate it, too. Look, I'll talk to both of them, and get them to back off, OK? But for right now, will you run patrol with me tonight, like we had planned?"

I put my head down and thought about it. I couldn't leave the pack, I knew I couldn't. I looked up at him and said, "Yea, YOU I like, right now. Give me a second to undress and phase, OK?" He grinned and pulled me to him for a quick hug. He turned and headed out into the woods. I quickly undressed and phased and caught up to him.

Embry POV:

I watched Leah run off and turned to follow her when Jake caught my arm and said, "Let me go after her, OK?" I nodded and he took off. I looked back at Sam and put my hands on my hips. I noticed that Quil and Paul had backed off and were sitting over by the firepit giving us a chance to fight this out.

He had his head down, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked up at me and said, "What the hell was that all about, bro? It is my job to protect her, just like I protect ALL of you. I'm the Alpha and it's what I do. I don't like that you don't trust me to watch out for her!"

"I know that, I know," I said. I had calmed down considerably and was starting to see things a little more clearly. "I guess I still have some jealousy that I have to get over. Sorry, Sam."

He nodded. "She's right though. We need to back off and treat her like a member of this pack. She made one stupid mistake, but we have to give her the chance to prove to us that she learned from it."

I knew he was right, but I couldn't help it. I couldn't stand the thought of Leah being hurt again – or worse. It was killing me!

"Embry, please go home and get some sleep. I promise that I won't let anything happen to Leah. Jake and I will treat her like a member of the pack, but we will stay with her, OK?" He had his hand on my shoulder and giving me that "I'm the Alpha and I know what's best" look. I hated that look right now.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Fine. I'll go home and TRY to sleep, but I know I'll just lay there and worry until I know that she is home."

Sam laughed and clapped me on the shoulder. "That's my boy! I'll make her call you, OK?"

I nodded and looked over at Quil. He nodded and got up to go with me. "See ya," I muttered. Quil and I walked around the house and got into the truck. I started the engine and Quil said, "I know this must be hard for you, Embry. I know how much I worry about Claire when I'm not with her. But, she's only 3 and Leah's . . . well, Leah is a grown woman. She's tough and she's stubborn. And we need her."

I looked over at him and smiled. "Yea, I know. Thanks, man." I took off and headed for home.

Leah POV:

Sam joined up with Jake and me. _"Leah, I'm sorry that Embry and I acted like asses. You know it's just because we care so much, right?"_

"_Yea, of course I know that. But I'm not stupid, OK? Don't treat me like I am."_

"_OK, I get that. I'll try harder to treat you like any other member of the pack, but I can't make that promise for Embry. You'll have to work that out with him. Are we good?"_

"_Yes, Sam. Thanks for that. Wait, was that an apology? Jake? Did I just get an apology? From Sam, our fearless leader?"_

"_Uh, yea. I think you did. Way to go!"_

"_Alright, enough of this shit. Let's go." _And Sam was back to himself.

Sam led us to the lake to see if the body had been taken away. The cops were still there, and there was a body on the ground with a sheet covering it. Charlie was there with a couple of other officers, and I saw Dr. Cullen there with them. He looked up and I swear he looked right at us even though we stayed back in the brush! We circled the area to see what we could pick up. The trail was very cold. No new fresh scent anywhere.

Just then, I saw Emmett and his blonde chick. They were patrolling together. I wondered if he was "protecting" her, or if he would treat her like he treated Jasper. It was a fine line, I knew it was. I suddenly wished I could talk to her and ask her.

They acknowledged us and went on toward the north. We headed that way, too, but still found nothing new. We spent the rest of the night patrolling the area, and still came up empty. I looked over at Sam and could see him lagging. He had been out here eight hours straight. He hadn't had any sleep in almost 24 hours.

"_Sam, head home and get some sleep. You won't be any good out here dead on your feet."_

"_Taking over as Alpha now, Leah?" _he teased me. _"Don't you wish!" _I shot back.

Jake added, _"I just might if you don't get your ass back home, Sam. Leah's right. Go get some sleep."_

"_Alright, I fucking give up. I'm heading home. Paul's had some sleep, so I'll send him out. I need to call my dad, too, to see if he can drive through town to see if he recognizes anyone. Come back in a couple of hours, OK?" _He finally left us and headed home.

"_So, now what, Jake? We've been over and over the area. Where else can we look?"_

"_I think we should head back up to where the trail disappeared. Let's go."_

I followed him by the lake. The cops had finally left the scene, but there was that yellow caution tape all around the area. We headed north and ended up at the cliff edge that overlooks the water. On the other side of the water was Canada. The sky was getting brighter as the sun crawled up over the horizon.

"_Do you think there's a possibility that the thing drowned? Maybe a body will wash up?"_

I looked over at Jake. "_I don't know. Maybe." _We stared down and tried to look for anything unusual that might have washed up along the shore.

All of a sudden, I smelled vampire. I crouched and growled which got Jake's attention. He looked and relaxed. It was Emmett and his girl. I relaxed, too, as Emmett said, "We didn't find anything. Are you looking for a body?" I nodded and he smiled.

"Yea, I told Rosalie that maybe we should go for a swim and look for a body," he said with a grin. "We'll let you know if we find anything."

Jake nodded and Emmett dove off of the cliff and slipped into the water. Rosalie – _that was her name_ – looked at me. I found myself again wishing I could talk to her. She turned and dove off the cliff to join Emmett.

"_Is she as cold as she looks?"_

"_Colder, why?"_

"_I don't know. I guess I was wondering about them patrolling together. You think he treats her any different?"_

"_Oh geez, Leah. Give it a rest, will ya?" _He turned to make our way back toward Sam's and I followed behind him.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I picked up the scent. Before I could even think, I was knocked on my ass! Something really huge had knocked me down then before I could even try to fight it off, it picked me up and ran. It squeezed me around the middle so tight I could barely breathe. _"Jake! Help me!"_

"_Leah? Where are you? You were right behind me? That scent!"_

"_This thing. . . this . . " _I was losing consciousness. I couldn't breathe . . ._"Jake, I can't bre . . ." _Everything went black.


	44. Chapter 44

CHAPTER 44

Embry POV:

I laid there willing my body to move and get up. I was going to be late for school if I didn't get up right now. I finally rolled out of bed and headed for the shower. I had gone to bed like Sam ordered, but I didn't really sleep. I would doze off and on with my phone right beside my head so I wouldn't miss it ring. _Why hasn't she called yet? _I had this really bad feeling that I couldn't shake. I really needed to hear her voice.

I crawled out of the shower and picked up the phone. No missed calls. I dried off and got dressed and brushed my teeth. I went into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee. Just as I went to take a sip, my phone vibrated in my pocket. _Shit!_ I spilled coffee on my shirt. I yanked the phone out of my pocket and flipped it open. "Leah?" I answered anxiously.

"No, bro, it's Sam. I hate to do this, but we need you. We need everyone. Come now." Click. _What the hell is going on? _I ripped my shirt off and threw it into my room. I pulled my shoes off and ran out the door and headed for the woods.

I ran as fast as I could to Sam's. As I was tearing through the woods I wondered if they found this thing that was terrorizing the rez. _Did Dad find someone? Did it kill someone else?_ I ran faster at that thought. I still hadn't heard from Leah and it was killing me.

I ran up the front porch steps and into the house. The first thing I see is Emily, sitting at the kitchen table, crying. _Oh God. _I looked around and saw Sue, who was sitting on the couch with Seth's arm around her while she cried. I felt my legs go weak as I scoured the room looking for Leah. "Where is she?" I asked. I walked up to Sam and asked again, angrily, "Where is she, Sam?"

He put his hands on my shoulders and said, "Right now, we don't know. Jake, Jared, Quil and Paul are out there right now. I wanted to wait here for you."

I shook his hands off of me. "What the fuck are you telling me, Sam? Why don't you know where she is?" _I couldn't believe what he was telling me!_

"She's missing right now. This . . . thing, took her. She and Jake were . . . "

"Took her? What do you mean, 'took her?' How could it take her? You and Jake were with her! You PROMISED me, Sam, that you would protect her."

"Look, Embry, I'm trying to explain to you what happened! " Sam yelled.

"I don't care right now what happened! I want to find her. I WILL find her!" I turned and ran out the front door. Rage was flowing through every part of my body. So much so, I phased as soon as my feet touched the grass, and my shorts exploded into shreds. I took off through the woods trying frantically to find any little bit of Leah's scent I could pick up.

"_Embry, I want to help. She's my sister." _Seth caught up and ran with me. _"Where would this thing take her? And why?"_

"_I don't know why and I don't care. But I will find her, and I will kill this thing if it's hurt her. Now, if you're going to help then concentrate on Leah's scent, OK?"_

We kept our noses tuned and covered the ground between Sam's and the lake. We circled the lake and headed north. I found her scent and this thing's scent where the trail had disappeared before. _"This is where she was taken." _Seth didn't need to tell me that. We followed Leah's scent as it led us along the cliff and down a path toward the water.

"_We haven't found her, yet." _That was Jake. _"We need help. We found a cave, but it's hard to get to." _

Seth and I made our way to Jake. He was there with Quil. _"Where's Paul and Jared?"_

"_I sent them out to scout around the area to see if they could pick up the scent again. It ends here."_

We were standing on the shoreline. The tide was up and the waves were crashing on the rocks around us. I looked over to see the cave he was talking about. With the tide up, the water was flowing into the cave. I assumed that when the tide was down, it would be an easy walk inside. We had no idea how big or how deep the cave was. _What if it was filing up with water right now? Was Leah in there? Would she drown?_ I shook my head and tried to push any negative thoughts away.

"_I'm going in. If there is any chance that she's in there . . ."_

"_Listen, Embry. I want to find her, too, but we have to be practical here."_

"_Jake! What if that was Bella in there? Would you worry about being 'practical?' I NEED to find her – NOW!"_

I knew that I was a better swimmer as a human than as a wolf. But I would need the strength and vision of my wolf body when I got into the cave. I would have to swim as a human, then phase back to wolf. I quickly phased into human form and headed for the water. I heard Jake's voice behind me, "Embry! Wait for me. If you're doing this, I'm coming with you." I stopped to wait. I saw him say something to Seth then Seth took off back up the path.

I looked over at him and nodded. Jake was my best friend, my brother. I knew he would go to hell and back for me, and I would do the same for him. "I sent Seth back to tell the others what we're doing."

"Yea, good idea." I took a deep breath and said, "OK, let's go."

We dove into the water and started swimming. We had to fight the current to get across to the cave, and it was strong. I was glad it wasn't far because it took every ounce of strength I had to pull myself against that current. As we closer to the cave opening, we caught the current that was flowing toward it and it swept us inside. I felt my body being pushed along, and my feet couldn't catch the bottom anywhere. I finally reached out and caught a branch that was stuck between two rocks. I hung on and took a few breaths and looked for Jake.

I spotted him being swept inside the cave and I stuck my arm out hoping to catch him. I could see his head was up out of the water, so I shouted, "Jake! Grab hold!" He looked up and heard me a little too late. _Damnit! _He was swept right by me! I let go of the branch and let the current sweep me farther into the cave behind Jake.

I tried to keep my eyes focused on Jake's head ahead of me. It bobbed up and down in the water until finally his feet must have found the bottom. He rose up out of the water and walked onto the floor of the cave. My feet hit bottom and I did the same. We both plopped down and tried to catch our breath.

"Man, that wasn't the most fun I've ever had," he said with a smile.

I shook my head and smiled. Leave it to Jake to try and make me smile at a time like this. The cave opening was still giving us enough light that I could make out a little of our surroundings. It was bigger than I originally thought, and apparently pretty deep. I really wished I had a flashlight.

Jake looked over at me and said, "I am so sorry, bro. This is all my fault. I turned for a second and she was right behind me then . . . she was gone. I didn't even see it coming."

"What? Where was Sam?" I asked. He said that both of them would stay with her.

Jake looked away and said, "Leah and I sent him home to sleep." I know he could see the anger on my face as he quickly added, "He was dead on his feet, Embry! He hadn't slept in over 24 hours. Leah insisted that he go home."

"He promised me, Jake. He PROMISED me!" I stood up and started pacing as I tried hard to see how far back this cave went.

"Em, look . . . " Jake started.

I cut him off with, "I need to phase and try to pick up Leah's scent." Jake nodded. I think he understood that Leah was my priority right now. I would deal with Sam latter. I stood up and took a few steps and phased back into my wolf body. I inhaled deeply trying to find her scent. My whole body ached with emptiness for her. I needed to find her scent just to have something of her with me. As I was scouting around, Jake phased and joined me.

If she had been brought here, we should have picked up her scent by now. We slowly made our way back into the cave. We hadn't gone far when I heard a whimper. I turned quickly to Jake. _"Did you hear that?"_

"_Yea."_ We walked a little faster in the direction where the noise had come from. I still didn't find Leah's scent. We heard the whimper again, this time a lot closer. Jake branched out to the right, and I stayed to the left. My eye sight was good in the dark, but it was getting really dark, now, and I was afraid I would miss something.

"_Embry! Over here!" _I turned quickly and ran up behind him. He was standing beside a girl . . . who was not Leah. I looked at him then down at the girl. She was young, maybe Seth's age, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, but it was torn and tattered, and there was some blood smeared on it. She was terrified and crying. I backed up quickly and went a few feet away to phase into human form. I felt bad I didn't have any shorts to cover my nakedness. I walked up behind Jake and said, "I'm taking your shorts, dude." I quickly untied his shorts and slipped them on. I walked back up and kneeled down beside her. "Hey, don't be afraid. We are here to help. Are you here alone?" I asked. She nodded. "Are you hurt?" I asked softly.

She nodded and stuttered, "M-m-m-my leg." She must be freezing! With my high temp, I never realized when it was cold anymore.

"Do you think it's broken? Can you walk at all?" I asked her.

"I d-d-d-don't know. I haven't t-t-t-tried," she answered. I reached around and helped her stand up. She winced and cried out as she tried to put weight on her leg. I helped her sit back down. I kneeled beside her.

"OK, we're going to have to wait this out a little until the tide goes down. I don't think I can carry you through that current," I told her. I looked up at Jake and he walked away to do some more scouting. "Don't go too far on your own!" I hollered at him.

I looked back at the girl and said, "My name is Embry."

"I'm Abby," she got out. Her teeth were chattering.

I sat down next to her and said, "I know this is going to sound weird, but I carry a body temp of 108. I can warm you up a little if you move next to me. I will not hurt you or try anything, OK? It's just to keep you from getting hypothermia." She stared at me for a moment then slowly moved over closer to me. I put my arm around her and heard her sigh as she felt the warmth radiate from my body.

After a few minutes, Jake came back into site. "Did you find anything, Jake? Leah's scent? Something?"

He shook his big shaggy head back and forth and sat down. _Shit! _I figured I might as well use this time to find out what happened to Abby.

"How did you get here, Abby? Did someone bring you here?"

"Y-y-yes. It was . . . I don't know what_." Exactly what I thought. Why was thing praying on women all of a sudden? Killing the men, yet taking off with the girls. Was it a sexual thing?_

"Did you get a look at it? Was it animal-like?" I asked her.

"Yea, kind of. Kind of like that big dog that's with you, only not as hairy and it was more human-like." She was warming up already. Her teeth finally quit chattering.

"How long have you been in here?"

"I don't know. Is it day or night?"

"It's mid-morning right now."

She started crying again. I could feel her tears on my chest. "A long time. It was yesterday after school. I was with . . . my boyfriend . . . and . . . " she was crying harder now.

"It's OK, you're safe now. We'll get you out of here as soon as we can and back home, OK?" She nodded and sat up a little to look at me.

She wiped her face and asked, "How did you find me? How did you know to come in here?"

"Well, my girlfriend is missing. And the trail ended on the shoreline. We saw the cave and thought she might be in here. Are you sure you are here alone?"

"I don't know. I was kind of out of it for a long time when I first got here, so . . . maybe it brought someone else here."

"This is going to sound very strange, but, did you see anything that looked like my friend, Jake? A big wolf?"

She shook her head. "No." _Shit! Where the hell is she? What did this thing do with her? Did he have other hideouts where he was stashing girls?_

"Where were you when this thing took you?"

"Um, we were at this place we go sometimes, to . . . " She was having a hard time getting the words out. I guessed why.

"To make out?" I asked. She nodded. "Yea, I know all about those little places," I said with a smile.

She smiled, too, and I felt her relax a little against me. "It's near the lake. We were making out and before I knew what happened, I felt someone grab me and start running. I never heard anything coming – it just . . . appeared! And it carried me a long ways, and I must have fainted or something, and I woke up . . . in here. I don't know what happened to my boyfriend."

Jake was listening. I looked over at him and said, "Is that what happened to Leah?" He nodded. _Damn. What is this thing we are dealing with? _I took a deep breath and leaned my head back against the cave wall. _Leah, baby, wherever you are, please hold on. I WILL find you. I promise._

Leah POV:

_Where am I? _I opened my eyes and had no idea where I was or how I got here. I looked around and thought maybe I was in an old barn? I could smell hay. I was laying on a dirt floor, and I was still in wolf form. I decided to stay that way until I figured out what the hell was going on. I laid there still on the ground and tried to see if I was alone. I didn't hear anyone else. I couldn't sense any other heartbeats or hear any other breathing but my own. I slowly lifted my head a little to look around. No one here but me. I finally sat up and took in my surroundings.

_How did I get here? Think, Leah. I remembered being on patrol with Jake and Sam. Sam was exhausted and we sent him home to sleep. Then Jake turned and . . . _something_ grabbed me and ran! Now I remember. _

I stretched out a little then walked around to see if there was a way out. It was a small barn, so it didn't take long. I pushed against the door and found it was locked from the outside. As I looked around, I figured I could smash through one of these walls if I backed up and ran. I turned to the first wall and started backing up when I heard something from outside. A shuffling sound. I stood still and listened. I could hear heaving breathing, like someone had run fast and stopped and was trying to catch their breath. I tried to catch a scent, but I couldn't pick up anything with all of the hay in the barn. I had allergies as a human, and I guess it was affecting me as a wolf, too. I was afraid I would start sneezing anytime!

I sat there still as I watched the door open. There it was . . . this wolf-man thing! It looked at me and cocked it's head to the side. He closed the door and moved silently inside. It stopped right before me and looked down at me. I stood up and came up to it's chest. He was extremely tall.

He looked into my eyes and I felt . . . not quite so scared. He slowly reached out his arm and put his paw/hand onto the back of my head and . . . stroked me. It was . . . very intimate. I backed away until I ran into the back wall of the barn. He looked at me with a sort of . . . pained look, like I hurt his feelings. He turned suddenly and went back outside. I heard him slide something into the handle to block the door closed. And then he was gone.

Embry POV:

Jake padded back to us and moved his head toward the opening of the cave. I had been dozing, and I jerked my head up when he came up to me. The tide must finally be going out. I looked down to see Abby sound asleep. She was still lying against me. I moved my arm and shook her a little to wake her. She jumped.

"It's OK, Abby. We're going to get up and move to the cave opening now, OK?" She wiped her eyes and looked around.

"Yea, OK," she said sleepily. I stood up and stretched. _Man, I wonder how long we've been in here. Was any of the pack outside waiting on us? _I reached down and helped Abby to stand up. "How's the leg?" I asked.

"A little better, I think. OW! Maybe not," she said after putting some pressure on it.

"Is it OK if I carry you?" She nodded. I reached down and scooped her up and told her to hold on. The light was getting dimmer, so it must be late in the day. I made my way toward the cave opening and found Jake. The water had receded quite a bit, and we walked almost all the way to the cave opening. I stopped and looked at Jake. There was still water at the front of the cave, but the current wasn't anything like it had been.

"What do you think? Can we walk yet, or is it still too deep?" He waded in a little and started moving out slowly. He made it to the cave opening and barked. Someone barked back. _Sam. Shit._ I really didn't want to face him right now. I was afraid I would beat the shit out of him.

Abby must have felt me tense up. "What's wrong?"

I looked at her and asked, "Do you have an older brother?"

She smiled and said, "Yea. He's a pain in the butt."

I laughed and told her, "Well, so is mine, and he's out there waiting for me. I'm pretty upset with him right now, and I really don't want to deal with him."

She laughed and said, "Oh, I get that." I thought how she was very cute when she smiled. I didn't know how serious she was with her boyfriend, but I had a feeling when Seth got a look at her, he was going to want to know.

Jake padded back and moved his head toward the opening. I walked slowly through the water and made it to the opening. I looked across the water and saw Sam, Seth and Quil standing there in human form now. Jake looked back at me then at his back leg where his short used to tied to his leg. I laughed. "Yea, sorry, bro! I'll turn around so you can phase."

I turned us around and Abby asked, "Phase? What does that mean?"

"I would love to explain it to you, but I can't right now. Just trust us, OK? We will get you home."

She smiled and tightened her hold around my neck. "I do trust you, Embry. You've been very nice to me."

Uh-oh. I know that smile. I used to love that smile. But not now.

I heard splashing and figured that Jake was running through the water. _That's good. That meant I could walk her back to shore instead of having to swim with her. _"OK, all clear!" I head Jake holler.

I turned and started walking through the water. It got about waist deep, but I made it through pretty easily. I looked to see Jake was wearing shorts! "Where did you get those?" I asked him.

Seth smiled and said, "I brought an extra pair back when I saw yours rip to shreds."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, bro."

"Seth?" I heard Abby say. I almost forgot I was still holding her! She was so light and quiet!

"Abby? You were the girl in there?" he asked in surprise.

"I take it you two know each other?" I asked.

Seth looked at me and explained. "Yea, we're in the same math class." He turned back to Abby. "Are you OK?"

"Um, yea. My leg is hurt. I can't stand on it. That's why Embry is carrying me." He nodded.

"Hey Seth," I said. "Since you two know each other, why don't you take Abby here up the hill, OK? I need to talk to Sam." He looked at me like I was handing him a Christmas present!

"Yea, sure!" he said with a smile. She smiled at him as she hooked her arms around his neck, and I had a feeling her boyfriend just became her ex-boyfriend. As he turned to make his way up the path, I heard Abby say, "Wow, you're really strong, Seth." I laughed and shook my head. Chip off the old block.

I looked over to see Jake grinning at me. "Was that his birthday present?"

"I was thinking Christmas, but either works," I answered him. He laughed.

I took a deep breath and walked over toward Sam. He looked at me and asked, "You OK, bro?" As hard as I tried to hold back, I just couldn't. I reached back and cold-cocked him, right in the face. Since he didn't expect it, he fell hard onto the sand.

"What the fuck, Embry!" he hollered at me. He went to get up and I stood over him and said, "You promised me, Sam. You told me you would keep her safe. And you LEFT HER!"

"You don't think this is KILLING ME, Embry? I let her talk me into going home and getting some sleep. I wasn't thinking, man. I was exhausted. I should have stayed," he said. He sat there rubbing his face where I punched him and hung his head.

"I will NEVER trust you with Leah again, Sam. NEVER!" I shouted. I walked away and ran my hand through my hair. My stomach growled loudly. I had no idea when I last had food. I didn't really care right now.

Jake walked over to Sam and held out his hand to help him up. Sam took it and moved a few steps away to gather himself.

I walked over to Quil and asked, "Is there anything new? Have you found her?"

He shook his head then said, "We figure he came this way to wash away his and Leah's scent then he went somewhere else. We've been working on the other side of the cave to see if we could pick up the trail again. Paul and Jared are working on that right now. We wanted to make sure you guys made it out alive here. Who's the girl?"

We turned and as we walked up the trail to the cliff, I explained where we'd found her and what she told us. He nodded and asked, "Why is it just girls? Did he . . . do anything . . . you know, to her?"

I looked up ahead at Seth carrying Abby. They seemed to be chatting and Abby was smiling. "I don't think so. I didn't ask, but she was fully clothed, except you saw her t-shirt. She didn't act like she'd been attacked, but that doesn't mean anything I guess. She seemed to trust me pretty quickly. And she seems more than happy with Seth right now," I added with a smile.

Jake and Sam were following us closely. I knew Sam could hear what I was saying, but he stayed quiet. We made it to the cliff top, and I looked over at Quil. "I'm going to phase and work my way to Jared and Paul. I hope THEY found something," I said as I looked over at Sam. He was glaring at me. I knew he was as pissed at himself as much as he was pissed at me for hitting him. At a time like this, we should be pulling together. I just didn't feel that way right now.

Seth turned and asked, "Where should I take Abby? To Emily or should I take her to her house?"

I went to Abby and asked, "Where do you live, Abby?" She explained where her house was. That was pretty far. "Maybe you should take her back to Emily's and have her call her parents from there." Seth grinned. I knew he'd like that answer.

"Is it far? Are you going to carry me the whole way?" Abby asked him.

"Sure, it's no problem. You hardly weigh anything," he answered. She giggled. I rolled my eyes as Seth turned to leave.

"Seth!" Sam called out. Seth turned back, "Yea?"

"I need to know if my dad is at the house. If he is, let me know and I'll come back, OK?"

He shrugged and said, "Yea, sure." He turned and jogged off toward the house.

I stripped off Jake's shorts and bent down to tie them to my ankle. "What's Dad got to do with this?" I said as I finished tying the cord to my ankle.

"I called him and asked him to drive around and see if he recognized anyone. Quil told me he saw him at the gas station talking to some dude. I want to know who it was and if he thinks this is all connected somehow."

I nodded. "OK, I'm out of here." I took off and phased on the run. I ran as fast as I could toward where I thought Jared and Paul might be. _"Hey, Jared! Where are you guys? You find anything?"_

"_Yea, we picked up Leah's scent and we are on the trail right now."_

I focused in on them and knew where they were. I ran as fast I could to catch up to them. I needed to find Leah's scent! I couldn't believe the emptiness I felt without her. I was really close to losing it. It was getting harder and harder to keep it together.


	45. Chapter 45

CHAPTER 45

Leah POV:

I lay still until I was sure he was gone. It was a very strange encounter we had. He seemed so gentle with me. Not at all the monster who had killed the campers, and that man at the lake. I felt very curious about him, but I wasn't curious enough to stick around.

It had been quiet now for some time. I wanted to wait to be sure before I busted out only to be caught again. I sneezed again and thought I better get away from this hay. I got to my feet and backed up slowly then took off at a run. I smashed through the side of the barn and pieces of wood went flying everywhere! I had a few big splinters in my fur, but I would worry about that later.

I kept running until I came to a clearing where I slowed down to try and get my bearings. I had no idea where I was! I looked around and tried hard to recognize something. I knew every inch of the reservation. If I was still there, I would know it. But I quickly realized that I wasn't on the reservation. I looked up at the sun and tried to get a direction. It was lower to my right, so that was west. Now, which direction should I go in?

I didn't want to stand here too long in case this thing was still around. I decided to head south, because in the past, this thing had disappeared in the north. So, I turned and ran south and prayed I was running in the right direction.

Embry POV:

I finally had it – Leah's scent! I picked it up and joined Jared and Paul. _"I found her scent! Have you found anything else yet?"_

"_No, dude. Just the scents – hers and that . . . thing's!" _Paul was out in front running like a wild man. He was really itching for a fight with this thing. Right now I was more worried about Leah, but I, too, wanted this thing to suffer. We made our way quickly through the bushes and trees when all of a sudden, Paul slowed way down. We almost ran into him_. "What's up?" _Jared wanted to know. Just then, Jake finally caught up to us.

"_Look over there. That old barn, with the side busted out!" _There were pieces of wood everywhere, so it had happened recently. We all fanned out and looked for Leah. I ran up into the barn and sniffed. She had been here alright. Her scent was everywhere. I spotted what looked like fur hanging off one of the wood pieces. I moved over and sniffed. _It was Leah's fur! _

Paul, Jake and Jared came running and sniffed. "_You think she busted out?" _Jared asked.

"_Looks like it! Way to go, Leah!" _Paul chimed in. There was no one else around, but the other scent was here. It was strongest outside the barn door. It had been here recently.

"_I'm going to follow Leah's scent." _Like they couldn't guess that.

Jake added, "_Wait! I'm going with you! Paul, Jared, see where that other scent goes." _I didn't even wait for them to answer. I was hot on Leah's trail!

Leah POV:

I was still heading south and the land was still foreign to me. I tried to pick up on any of the pack's scents, but I was having trouble. I knew they were probably spread out everywhere looking for me. I should be able to pick up their thoughts, too. I had slowed down to a trot when I started to recognize where I was. I was really thirsty so I as soon as I sensed water, I ran toward it. It was a little stream and I leaned down and started lapping thirstily.

"_Leah! I'm coming for you! I can hear you!" Embry. _

"_I'll wait for you. For some reason, I'm a little disoriented. I was in a barn and I think the hay has made my allergies kick in. I can't seem to pick up scents and I have no idea where I am. I headed south from the barn." _Just then, I sneezed. Not just once, but three times.

"_We saw the barn. Did you bust out?"_

"_Yea, I did. I think I still have wood in my fur."_

"_I found your fur on some wood there. I'm following your trail. Stay low, baby. We still don't know where this thing is. Jared and Paul are following that trail."_

"_OK." _I finished drinking and jumped into the stream to hide my scent. It was shallow so I walked along it a little ways then found a place in the brush to lay down and stay out of site. I hoped that would be enough protection.

"_Good thinking, Leah. Jake and I are on our way, but I'm not sure how far behind you we are. Sit tight. I'm so glad you're alive! I miss you so much."_

"_I miss you, too. It hurts so much to be so far away from you."_

"_Yea, me, too."_

I hunkered down and waited. I hoped it wouldn't be long.

Embry POV:

I was running as fast as I could. I could sense the water - we must be close to the stream. I could hear it now. _"Leah, we're very close to the stream."_

She didn't answer. _"Maybe she fell asleep." _Jake suggested. We padded up to the stream and Jake leaned down to lap up some of the water. I was looking up and down the stream to see where Leah was hiding. I saw the little place in the brush that she had seen so I jumped into the stream and made my way to it. Jake followed.

All of a sudden, I picked up the other scent! So did Jake. I jumped into the place in the brush where Leah was hiding to find it empty! "_What the fuck! This is it! It's still warm from where Leah was laying. Leah! Leah, baby, answer me!"_

Nothing. _What the fuck is going on? I was so close to finding her, and now . . . she's gone again. _

I let out this horrible, mournful howl. I couldn't take this anymore. I felt myself just fall apart. I flopped over where Leah had just been and inhaled her scent. _Leah, oh Leah. I can't take this. I need you. I NEED to find you!_

"_Embry, come on, bro. Keep it together. They can't be far! Let's go!" _Jake pushed at my head with his nose. I knew he was right. I was just exhausted and so very afraid that I would lose her. Jake bumped me again, harder this time.

"_Get your ass up, Em! Now!"_ I stood up and shook my head to clear it then we moved out to try and pick up the trail. Just then, Paul and Jared came running up. _"This is where the trail led. How did you miss her?"_

Jake showed them. _"Let's go!" _We fanned out and found the scents. We followed them south then they turned slightly to the west. _They were headed for home! Did this thing know where we lived?_

"_I don't know, but we better hurry and find out!" _We picked up the pace. _"Sam? You out there?" _Jake tried to reach him to warn him. Must be in human form or he would have answered. It was just us. We kept running and following the scent. _I will find you, baby, I promise. I will find you!_

Leah POV:

I opened my eyes to see the ground rushing below me. I was being carried again. _Embry!_ _No, not Embry. Oh, God! It found me! "Embry, come and find me! It has me again and it's carrying me."_

"_Leah! I hear you, baby! We are following you. We'll catch you."_

I tried to see where I was. Everything was rushing past so fast it was hard to get any idea where we were. I didn't want to struggle and let it know I was awake. I was afraid it would squeeze me again and put me out. _Find something, Leah. Anything to tell you where you are. _

"_Oh my God! This is the woods behind Sam's house! Embry? How does this thing know where Sam lives? Does it, or is it coincidence?" _

"_I don't know, Leah. We are almost to you. Sam must be in human form. He's not hearing us!"_

I couldn't let this thing hurt Emily! I decided that I had the element of surprise, so I quickly moved my head to sink my teeth into this thing's neck. He reacted just the way I hoped and let go. I hit the ground and turned to get a good look at him. His eyes were black as coal and he snarled at me. Blood was running down his neck where I bit him. I crouched and made myself ready for an attack.

But he just stared at me like he was trying to figure out why I would want to fight him. I saw a sadness in his eyes. If I could keep him here for a little while longer, I hoped that Embry and the rest of the pack could catch up.

"_Please be careful, Leah! We are almost there!"_

I stared back and turned my head to the right slightly to show it I was thinking about what to do. He did the same. I wished I had a way to talk to him. _Was there a human inside there like Josh? Or is this just some sort of hybrid monster? _

He moved slowly toward me and I let him. For some reason, again, I didn't feel as afraid of him. I looked into his eyes and tried to communicate. He stopped in front of me and again reached out his hand and ran it down my head onto my back. He stared into my eyes and I felt him relax.

Just then Sam came bursting into the clearing and launched himself at the monster. _"Sam! You idiot!" _The monster just threw Sam to the side like he was rag doll. Sam jumped up and got into a crouch and growled. He looked over at me as if to say, _"Why did you let that dog attack me?"_

I stared at it and tried to make my eyes say, "Forgive me."

Sam growled again. "_Sam, for some reason he doesn't know why I let you attack him. I had somehow managed to calm him."_

"_Run home, Leah, and phase. I don't want him taking off with you again! Go! Now!"_

"_No! I'm here to help. I'm a member of this pack, Sam. I'm not running anymore."_

"_Leah, that's an order!" Damnit! An Alpha order. Now I HAVE to obey._ _"Damnit, Sam!"_

I turned and started to run for Sam's. I heard a yip as Sam had launched himself at it again and was swatted aside like a fly. I heard barks and knew that the rest of the pack had arrived. I kept running and was getting madder and madder at Sam as I ran. _I should be there! I am a part of this pack! What if they kill this thing? _

I tried as hard as I could to fight the order. I stopped running and tried to turn back. I felt a strong force pulling me toward Sam's. _Damnit all to hell! _I had no choice, so I turned back and ran as fast as I could for Sam's.

Embry POV:

All four of us arrived on the scene and launched ourselves at this thing. I had seen it slap Sam away like he was a bug! Paul was all over him, biting and trying to get a hold of him. Quil went for the legs and we had him on the ground. Five werewolves were too much for this thing. Fur and blood flew everywhere as we all tore away at him. Then suddenly, this thing stopped fighting. It was completely still. _"Guys, back off!" _Sam ordered, so we did.

We backed slowly away and took a look. This thing lay there, bleeding everywhere. His eyes were still open, and he was still breathing, but very raggedly. He looked at all of us warily. _"What do we do with him?" _Jared wondered.

"_Are you fucking kidding me? Kill it!" _Paul's thoughts shouted. He was chomping at the bit!

"_Do you think there is someone in there, like Dad?" _I looked at Sam.

"_I don't know. I guess, I thought, maybe it might phase if there were."_

"_Does that change anything? It's killed three people, and kidnapped three women, including Leah! What the hell is wrong with you guys?" _Paul was right. It would go on killing if we didn't put a stop to it. We had to think about this thing like we would a bloodsucker. But it was a lot harder, it being a sort of "cousin" to us. I felt for the person trapped inside.

"_You think that person likes living this way? Didn't your dad say he wanted to die many times? We'd be doing this thing a favor."_

I looked at Sam. He had his head down. The final decision was up to him. I looked back at the monster we all held captive. I stared into his eyes trying to find anything human in them.

"Wait!" we heard someone call out. "Don't kill him!" _Dad? _Sam's head snapped up and he looked over at me. Just then, Dad came running into the clearing. "Sam! Let me see him, please?" Sam looked at him and nodded. Then Dad looked up at all of us and said, "Embry?" I realized he had never seen me as a wolf. I nodded and he walked over to me and put his hand on my back.

"Leah is home, son. She's fine." I put my head down and he patted me and stepped closer to the monster on the ground.

He kneeled down and said, "Josiah? It's me, Josh Uley. Can you hear me? Can you understand me?"

_Josiah? He knew this guy? _

Dad went on, "If you can hear me, Josiah, just close your eyes and relax." The monster closed his eyes! "Good. You're hurt, but you will heal quickly. Just lay here and listen to the sound of my voice, OK?" He nodded. This was amazing!

I was going crazy right now. My body was pulling on me to run home to be with Leah. I wanted more than anything to hold her and make sure she was alright. But I was frozen in place by my curiosity at what my dad was trying to do. I slowly backed away and put a little distance between me and the pack. I stood there trying hard to decide what to do. Finally, I phased into human form and pulled on my shorts.

I walked back up to where Dad was and squatted down beside him. "Dad?" He jumped and looked back at me. "Embry! You scared me."

"Oh sorry! Um, you know this guy. How?" I asked.

"This is Josiah. He's my cousin on my mom's side. Your cousin. He lives on the Makah reservation. I ran into his brother, Jason, at the gas station in town. He told me that Josiah was missing." I looked over at Quil. That's who Dad had been talking to. He went on, "I asked him a few questions about Josiah, and started putting two and two together. I had this awful feeling that he might be the one we were looking for. I was trying to get in touch with Sam to tell him, but then Leah went missing, so I drove over to the house. I was there when Leah came in and told us what was going on."

I looked over at Sam. _This was our cousin! We almost killed a member of our own family._ "You told us that when you phase you hunt and kill. But, he only killed men. The women he took off with and hid. And Leah was in wolf form when he took her. Why?"

"Well, Josiah is young. Not much older than you and Sam. And I don't think he has been phasing for long. It's, um, well, he is looking for a mate."

My eyes grew wide in surprise. "What? Did you do that?"

"No, I didn't because I imprinted on your mom, remember? Some of our kind imprint, I guess, but most don't. And, so, some look for a mate. The first girl, I think he dropped because he knew he was being chased. The second I heard he hid in a cave, and he would have gone back for her except, I think he had his sights set on Leah. I don't know why."

He looked back down at Josiah who still had his eyes closed. His injuries were healing so fast! Practically right before our eyes. I didn't want him to heal fully and take off again. "Dad, he's healing really fast. I don't want to let him go so he can kill again, or . . . get to Leah."

He nodded and looked down at Josiah and said, "Josiah? Can you still hear me?" He nodded, but kept his eyes closed. "I want you to concentrate as hard as you can and try to phase back into being a human. I don't know if it's possible, but since your defenses are down and you can hear me, maybe you can do it."

I saw him squint his eyes like he was really concentrating. His hands had balled into fists. Dad took a hold of one of his hands and held it and said, "Come on, Josiah. Think 'human. I want to be human.' " He was shaking! He was really trying. "You're close, Josiah, come on! You can do it, boy!" Dad shouted.

The pack stayed close, just in case he went the other way. We all just stared at Josiah. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. I couldn't stand the thought of being trapped inside the wolf body. I loved that I had the ability to go back and forth at will. How horrible it must be for him . . . and for Dad.

Suddenly I heard Dad laugh and say, "You did it! I can't believe it. It worked!" Josiah sat up and looked around at all of us. "What's going on?" he asked. "Who are all of you and where am I?"

"I am your cousin, Josh Uley, and this is your cousin, my son, Embry. These wolves are members of the pack here in LaPush. Let's get you back to the house and I'll try to explain everything then, OK?" He just nodded and let Dad help him up. Dad walked him slowly back toward Sam's.

I looked out at the pack. They were all my brothers. They had put everything on the line to find Leah and I had no idea how to thank them. I said, "Thank you guys so much for everything you did to help find Leah."

Sam phased into human form and so did Jake. Quil followed, then Jared and Paul. They all quickly pulled their shorts on and we gathered into a sort of a circle. Sam said, "I'm proud of everyone here. But it wasn't just because it was Leah, dude. You know this pack will always fight for each other. This is a family. We will always be there for each other." We all looked around the circle. He was right. I would die for any one of these guys and I knew they would for me.

Sam came over to stand before me. "Little brother, I'm going to forgive you for the punch in the face. I know why you did it, and I would have done the same thing. I shouldn't have left Jake and Leah, no matter how much they bugged me to. That was my mistake, and I know I couldn't live with myself if Leah had been hurt. I gave you a promise and I broke it. I am truly sorry for that."

I looked him in the eye and said, "I know you are, Sam. But you have to know that I trusted you with the one thing that I love most in this world, and that's Leah. It will take me awhile to be able to trust you like that again. I hope you understand that."

"I do, bro." He put his hand on my shoulder. "I just want you to know . . . "

I cut in, "I know. You're my brother. I can be pissed at you and still love you."

He grinned and pulled me to him for a bro hug. "Good. That's good to know."

"And, speaking of Leah, I need to see her – NOW!" He smiled and shoved me. "Go!" he yelled at me as I ran toward the house.

Leah POV:

I made it to the house and stumbled in at the same time Josh arrived. I quickly told him what was going on, and he raced out of the house. Mom ran to me and pulled me to her and hugged me tight. "Oh thank God. Leah I was so scared!"

I held onto her and finally let loose the tears that had been threatening to fall all day. She held me as we both cried then Emily came up and led us to the couch. She sat down beside me and I fell onto her and cried some more. I told her that I wanted to stay and fight, but Sam had "Alpha-ordered" me home. "I am so pissed at him right now!"

She laughed and said, "What's new?" That made me laugh. It seemed Sam and I were always pissed at one another now. I guess that would be our new relationship with each other.

Seth came jogging down the hall and said, "Leah? You're back!" I stood up and he picked me up into a huge bear hug. "I'm so glad you're OK!" He set me down and I smiled at him.

"Me, too, little brother. Thanks for the hug. It's nice to know you missed me." He grinned at me then he looked at Emily and said, "Um, Abby finished her juice and she says she's hungry."

I looked at him and asked, "Abby? Who's Abby?"

Seth smiled and told me how Embry and Jake found Abby in the cave and how she was hurt so he carried her all the way here. Somehow I got the feeling that wasn't such a chore for him.

Mom stood up and asked, "How's her leg feeling? Better?"

"Yea, I guess," Seth answered.

"I'll go check on her. I think she just pulled a muscle. Nothing is broken. I'll take some ice in for it," she explained to me. Mom went to the freezer and pulled out a bag of ice and took it down the hall.

I looked at Seth. "So, you know her from school?"

"Yea, we have the same math class. I've checked her out a couple of times."

I nodded and smiled and he smiled back. I rolled my eyes. He was more and more like Embry every day.

Emily handed him a plate with a sandwich and some carrots on it. "Thanks, Em." He hurried down the hall to deliver the food to his "patient."

I told Emily I needed to clean up a little. She got me some clean clothes and I made my way to the bathroom. I stripped off my dirty, wet clothes and quickly washed up as best I could. I dressed in the clean clothes and took a brush to my hair. It was so ratted, I gave up and walked out and handed the brush to Mom. I sat down in a kitchen chair as she tried to get all the rats out of my hair like she did when I was little.

Emily brought me a bowl of vegetable soup and a cup of tea. I worked on that and tried hard to keep my mind off what was going on outside. I was so worried about Embry. He had been so close to me at the stream then . . . he had shown up and taken me again. I was worried about him, too. For some reason, I didn't want them to kill the monster either. Mom had finished with my hair, so I took the hair band from around my wrist and put my hair into a messy bun.

Just when I thought I couldn't take waiting another second, we heard Josh call from the porch. "Emily? Bring me a blanket please!"

Emily shouted, "OK!" and flew from the kitchen to the bedroom then went running back through to the porch with the blanket. I got up from the table to see what was going on as Josh walked inside with this young man, wrapped in the blanket. He was dark-haired and dark-skinned like us, but he looked very bewildered. "Can you get him some water, Sue?" Josh asked.

Emily had gone down the hall again, and I just stood there. Something seemed very familiar about him. Mom walked over to them and handed the man a glass of water. He guzzled it down and held it out to her. She took it and walked back to the kitchen as Emily walked out with some clothes and handed them to Josh. Just then the young man locked his eyes with mine. I knew those eyes! Josh gave him a little push and he then walked this young man down the hall into the bedroom and closed the door. "Who was that?" I asked quietly, even though I knew very well who it was. I felt so relieved to know they hadn't killed him.

Emily just shrugged her shoulders and said, "I suppose Josh will tell us as soon as he can."

I walked on out to the front porch and looked out to where I had run from. It was very quiet. I went to take a step off of the porch and I felt that force hold me back. _Really, Sam? _Now I was REALLY pissed at him.

I sat down on the porch swing to wait. I knew Embry would come as soon as he could. I didn't have to wait long! I saw him burst out of the woods and come flying through the yard. I stood up and went to the edge of the porch. "Leah!" he called out to me. And then . . . I was in his arms.

Embry POV:

"Oh Leah! Thank God you're alright," I said as I held her as tight as I could. She had wrapped her arms around my neck and I could hear her crying. "It's OK, baby. I'm here now." She lifted her face from my neck and I let go of her to take her face in my hands. I looked into her tear-filled eyes and said softly, "I love you so much, baby," then I bent to put my lips on hers. I moved my lips over hers and felt such relief fill my body. It was like a long drink of water after a trip through the desert. She must have felt it, too, as she leaned into me and kissed me back. We clung to each other.

I finally pulled back and looked at her and smiled. "You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."

She smiled back as the tears ran down her face. "I love you, Embry. I don't ever want to be away from you like that again."

Just then, the rest of the pack walked into the yard. Leah wiped her face and looked out and I saw her glare at Sam. _Uh-oh. I've seen that look before. She is pissed!_

She waited until he got closer then she pushed herself away from me and launched herself at Sam. "What the hell, Sam? Giving me a fucking Alpha order to go home?" She put her hands on his chest and shoved him. "And then after I phased, I couldn't even step off of the fucking porch!" She shoved him again. "What was all that shit about treating me like a member of the pack, huh? First time we get into a fight, and you send me home like a baby? I had him calmed down, and I was communicating with him. I could have helped!" She shoved him a third time. "I will NOT put up with this shit anymore! I QUIT! OK? I quit the pack. I will sit here with Emily, and be a good little girl and wait for all you big strong men to come home. That's what you want, isn't it?" Sam just stood there. "Well, ISN'T IT?" she screamed at him.

I looked over to see Paul with a grin on his face, just loving every minute of this. Quil and Jared looked a little scared, and me and Jake were worried about how Sam was going to get out of this. Seth had come out from the house when he heard Leah screaming and had moved to stand beside Leah.

Sam looked at her and said, "No, Leah that is not what I want. Can we talk about this alone? I don't think we need an audience for this, do you?"

"I don't know, Sam. You might want witnesses around." Paul and Jared broke out laughing, and Sam glared at them.

"Come on, you guys. Break it up, OK?" Sam ordered. They all filed inside, except for me and Seth. Seth moved up behind Leah as if to say, "I got your back." She glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled. Then she looked back at Sam. She crossed her arms in front of her and glared at him.

He had his hands on his hips and he said, "OK, Leah. You can be pissed at me, but this guy wanted you. Not any of us – just you. I knew that if you were still there, it would tempt him to get up, take you and keep going. I made an Alpha decision based on the situation, Leah. Can't you see that?"

He did have a point.

She took a deep breath and said, "Yes, I can see that. But it was humiliating, Sam! I can't stand being ordered home like a little kid! If this is going to continue then I am serious about not running with the pack. I will find another job for myself where I can help the pack, but I will not let you humiliate me again like that."

Sam took a step toward Leah and put his hands on her shoulders. "Leah, this is hard for both of us. You have a good point, but so do I. Today, I made the best decision for you and for the pack. Next time, it might not be that way. Every situation is different. I don't want you to quit the pack, OK? Can we please just settle down and take some time to think about this?"

She rolled her eyes at him and said, "Yes, I guess we can talk about it later."

He smiled and pulled her to him for a hug. "Thanks, Leah. Even though you're pissed at me, I'm happy as hell to see you." That made her smile. She hugged him back then he let her go. "Come on, let's go in the house." He walked up the steps and the three of us followed.

"Who's the guy Josh brought in with him?" she asked me.

I stopped at the doorway and said, "My cousin, Josiah." She looked at me curiously. "The monster we've been chasing is my cousin."


	46. Chapter 46

CHAPTER 46

Leah POV:

"What? That thing . . . the one that took me, is . . . your cousin?"

Embry nodded. "Dad came out and stopped us from . . . uh he asked to talk to him. It was amazing, Leah! Dad talked to him and he heard him. Dad thought maybe since he was so hurt his defenses were down or something, but Dad talked him into phasing back. I don't think he remembers anything he did. He didn't know where he was or what had happened."

"I guess that's a good thing. I can't imagine phasing back and remembering the people I killed. " Once again, I was very happy that I wasn't trapped inside a body that I couldn't control. If I had to be a werewolf, I was glad that I could be what I was. "What I can't figure out, is why did he take me? And the girl in the cave . . ." I stopped as I tried to remember her name.

"Abby," he supplied.

"Yea, Abby. He didn't hurt me in any way, Embry. Except when he picked me up to carry me, he squeezed me so hard around the middle, I passed out. But, other than that, he was very gentle."

Embry got a strange look on his face. Like he was afraid I wouldn't like what he was going to tell me. "Well, Dad told me he thinks he was trying to find . . . a mate," he explained.

"A mate? Me?" I asked with surprise. "I could see Abby, but . . . I was in wolf form! Why would he choose . . ." My voice faded away as I lost myself in thought. He was part wolf, but he was more human than we were. I just didn't get it.

Embry brought me back from my thoughts when he said, "Yea, I don't know. I'm just glad you're back here, with me, where you belong," Embry told me as he took me in his arms.

I smiled and said, "Me, too." I loved being in his arms again. I had really missed that.

He kissed me then took my hand and led me inside. The guys had made their way right to the table where Emily and Mom were feeding them. "I need some food," Embry said.

"Go ahead. I've already eaten," I replied. He smiled at me then sat down at the table. I walked to the kitchen and filled a bowl with Emily's vegetable soup and grabbed a sandwich and took the food to Embry. He dug right in like he was a dying man. My gaze drifted down the hall and I wondered if anyone had offered Josiah or Josh anything to eat.

I turned and made my way back to the room they were in and stuck my head in the doorway. Josiah was dressed now and sitting on the edge of the bed, and Josh had pulled the chair up close and was sitting in it talking to him. Josiah had his head down, but he looked up at me and I could see . . . surprise, maybe, recognition, in his eyes. He locked his eyes with mine, just as he had done out in the woods. Again, I felt this sadness in him. I smiled at him and he looked away. "Hey," I said.

Josh turned and looked at me and smiled. "Hi, Leah!" He stood and pulled me to him for a quick hug. "I'm so glad to see you. Are you OK?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I just wanted to see if either of you is hungry. Emily made a huge amount of vegetable soup and sandwiches," I offered.

Josiah looked up and said quietly, "I am hungry."

I smiled and said, "OK, I'll bring you something." I turned to Josh and asked, "Would you like something, too?"

"No, Leah, I'm fine, but thanks," he replied.

I nodded and turned toward the kitchen. I filled a bowl with soup and grabbed a couple of sandwiches and filled a glass with ice water then put it all on a tray and headed back to the bedroom. I walked in and set the tray on the table beside the bed. I pulled the table toward Josiah so he could reach the food.

Josh stood up and said, "I need to make a phone call. I'll be right back." He stepped just out into the hall and dialed his phone.

I sat down in the chair and looked at Josiah. He had picked up the glass and was drinking some water. He looked over at me then set the glass down and picked up the spoon to eat some soup. I remembered thinking how I had wished I could communicate with him when we were in that clearing. I was sure he didn't remember any of that, but yet . . . when he looked at me, there was something strange there in his eyes. Almost, like he did remember me. I had to ask.

"Josiah?" He looked at me. "Do you remember me? My name is Leah."

He set his spoon down and said quietly, "There is something so familiar about your eyes. I'm sorry I keep staring at you, but I can't seem to help it." He smiled shyly.

"There was a moment, out there, when we locked eyes and really looked at each other. I was in my wolf body then, so I didn't look like this. But maybe that is what you are remembering?"

"I don't know," he answered. "This is all so strange. I feel like I'm dreaming and I keep waiting to wake up."

I felt so badly for him. He hung his head and I had this strange urge to put my arm around him.

He put his head up and looked at me. "I'm sorry. For whatever I did to you. I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked anxiously.

"No," I assured him. "Not at all. I was a little scared at first, but you didn't hurt me. You were very gentle with me."

He looked very relieved. "Good." He picked up the spoon again and ate some more soup. He set it down and said, "This is going to sound really weird, but, I have this really strong feeling that we . . . know each other. He looked at me and I could see it, in his eyes. _Oh no. He didn't imprint on me, did he?_

"I'm not sure what you mean," I said.

"I don't know either. It's like, out of all of these people here, I only feel a connection with you. Josh says he's my cousin, but I don't feel anything toward him, except being grateful that he's been a real cool guy and he's trying to help. But, I don't feel any family connection with him or anything. But, when I look at you . . . I just feel . . . like I know you. Like . . . never mind." He picked up his spoon and ate some more.

I don't know why, but I moved over to sit next to him on the bed. He looked over at me suspiciously. I guess I just wanted to see how he would respond. I had to make sure he hadn't imprinted on me. That would be horrible! He turned his body to face me and he said, "What are you doing?"

"I just want to tell you that I will be your friend, Josiah. OK? I'm not sure what kind of 'connection' you are talking about, but I will be your friend."

He smiled and said, "Thanks, Leah. I could really use one." He reached down and took my hand and squeezed it. We sat there quietly for a moment. Suddenly, he let go of my hand and reached out and ran his hand down the back of my head. Then he looked into my eyes and squinted, like he just remembered something. _Did he remember doing that when I was in my wolf body? _"I'm not sure why I just did that."

"You did that to me when . . . we were together, before. I was in my wolf body then," I explained quietly.

He nodded and pulled his hand away. I went to move away and he stopped me by touching me on the arm and saying, "Wait." I looked back at him and he leaned toward me and before I could move away, he kissed me gently on the lips. He sat back quickly and said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

I quickly moved back to the chair and said, "No, you shouldn't have. And I shouldn't have let you. I have a boyfriend, Josiah. I'm in love with Embry, your cousin."

His face fell. "Oh." He hung his head, and I suddenly felt like shit.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to . . . "

"No, it's OK. You were just being nice. You want to be my friend, I get it." He looked up at me and gave me a small smile. "It's just so weird, how I feel around you. Like I've know you forever. I don't understand it. Like when I kissed you . . . I felt like I was supposed to do that. I know that doesn't make any sense. I've never SEEN you before today." He pushed the table aside and stood up and walked over to look out the window. He leaned his forehead against the glass and said, "I just wish I would wake up and find this has all been a nightmare. I want my life back."

I closed my eyes and wished that for him. I got up and walked over to him. "Josiah, Josh can help you. He has had to deal with this for a very long time. And things have gotten better for him! Someday, you can have more of a normal life. It will get better."

He turned his head to look at me. I smiled at him and he smiled back. "Thanks, Leah, for coming in here and talking to me. I don't know what we are meant to be, but I would like to be your friend. Is that OK?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yes. I would like that, too. Is it OK if I give you a hug?"

"I would really like that," he replied. I put my arms around him and hugged him. He let me go and I turned to leave. I got to the door and turned back to say, "Hey! Eat the rest of this, OK?"

He smiled and walked back to sit down. "Yes, ma'am!"

I smiled and walked out of the room.

Josh caught my arm as I stepped into the hall and asked, "Everything OK?"

"Um, I'm not sure." I looked up and down the hall to see if anyone else was around. I moved us away from Josiah's door a little ways and whispered to Josh, "I'm afraid he might have imprinted on me."

I saw the shock in Josh's eyes. "What? Why do you think that?"

I quickly filled him in on what Josiah told me about the "connection" he felt for me, and how he kissed me. "He said he felt like we were supposed to be together."

Josh shook his head and said, "I don't know, Leah. Look, I'll talk to him and try to find out about the imprinting, OK? I'll ask him some questions and see how strong he really feels about you."

I nodded and said, "Thanks. I hope he didn't. He has enough to deal with, Josh. You know I can't return those feelings. I love Embry. I told him that, too. But, I did tell him I would be his friend. And I mean that, Josh. I would like to be a friend to him."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Leah. He's going to have it rough for the next few years. Although, I am amazed at his ability to phase back when I told him to. I would like to spend some time with him and explore that a little. If he can figure out a way to tap into that, well, he might have it a lot better than I did."

I smiled and said, "I'm glad he has you to help him through this. I told him that, too. That you have been dealing with this for a long time, and things have gotten better for you. I wanted him to know that someday, it will be better."

He smiled and patted me on the shoulder. Then he walked back into Josiah. I heard Josh say, "I just called your brother. He's on his way."

_Brother? Was he like Josiah? _For some reason, I hoped not. I decided after all of that, I needed a little fresh air, so I turned and walked toward the back door. I opened it to step out onto the back porch and that's when I ran right into Sam. "Umph! Oh, Sam!" He caught me and steadied me. _Great. Just what I needed._

"You OK, Leah?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," I said curtly. I was still a little pissed at him. I walked past him out onto the back porch.

I heard the back door close and I thought I was alone until I heard Sam ask, "Were you in there? With . . . him?"

I turned to answer him. "Yes, I took him some food. Why?"

"Geez, Leah, that thing kidnapped you! Do you think it's a good idea to be hanging out with him?" He looked at me with genuine concern. So what did I do? I laughed. "What's so damn funny?" he asked.

"You! Listen to you! 'That thing kidnapped you!' That 'thing' is your cousin, Sam. His name is Josiah. And he is not a 'thing,' he is a person. A very scared, lonely person. I took him some food and showed him some compassion. You might try that sometime."

He just stood there and stared at me.

"Sam, look, I love that you care about me, OK? But knock it off already!" I turned and went down the back steps and walked out into the back yard. It was completely dark now and the stars were out. I was standing there looking up at them when Sam walked up behind me.

"Leah, I don't know how to stop . . . caring about you. It's driving me crazy." I turned around to face him. "When that thing . . . OK, Josiah, took you, I was out of my mind! I am so sorry that I left you. I shouldn't have, no matter how tired I was. I should have protected you." He reached out his hand and laid it on my cheek.

"Sam, I'm not yours to protect anymore," I told him quietly.

He smiled. "I know that here," he said as he pointed to his head, "but not here." He picked up my hand and put it on his chest over his heart. I closed my eyes and felt like my hand was burning as it lay on his chest. He put his other arm around me and pulled me close. "Leah," he whispered. I laid my forehead onto his shoulder.

"Sam, this has to stop. I . . ."

"What the hell is going on here?" _Embry!_ I jumped back, but Sam just stood there.

"Nothing, bro. Just apologizing to Leah for leaving her unprotected. I felt she deserved that," Sam said. I looked over at him and marveled at how cool he was. I was shaking from head to toe. "And asking her why she was alone in that room with that thing that kidnapped her." I shot a look at Sam. _Oh yea, cool. Get him mad at me. You're good_.

"What? Leah! What the hell were you thinking?" Embry yelled at me.

I shook my head and said, "I was being nice. I took him some food." _And he kissed me. _

"But to be alone with him? God, Leah! We just spent all day trying to get you back from him!"

"Your dad was two feet away in the hall on the phone! God, I can't take this anymore! I have told both of you over and over and over that I am not a fucking idiot. I don't need either one of you hovering over me 'protecting' me. Both of you just BACK OFF!"

I pushed past both of them and walked back into the house. I stopped by Josiah's room and saw that he was done with his food. I stepped in and grabbed the tray and stalked out of the room toward the kitchen. I slammed the tray down on the counter by the sink and made Emily jump.

"Leah? You OK?" she asked me.

"No, not really," I said. "I am sick of men. I need something to do right now so I don't kill both Uley brothers."

She smiled at me and handed me a dish towel. I smiled back and started drying dishes.

Embry POV:

I looked over at Sam and said accusingly, "You weren't just apologizing. You were a little too close for that." It took every ounce of strength I had to keep myself from ripping him apart right now.

He put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. "I did apologize to her. But . . . God, Embry, this is so hard." He turned so I couldn't see his face. "Embry, I know you love her, bro. And I'm glad. But, I can't seem to stop . . . caring about her. I worry more about her than any of the rest of you. She's right about that." He turned back around to look at me. "I am trying very hard to think of her as a sister, bro. I know you want to marry her, and she's really happy about that. I don't want to feel this way . . . I really don't."

I let out a breath. What could I say? He's my brother and I love him. If he were anyone else, I would deck him right now. But their situation was so bizarre. He didn't want to stop loving Leah when he imprinted. It was forced on him. But I was pretty sure that no matter how he felt about Leah, he wouldn't act on. At least I hoped he wouldn't.

I looked him in the eye and said, "Sam, be honest with me. Are you still in love with Leah?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm in love with my wife, Embry. I am being totally honest about that. It's just, with Leah, I know I shouldn't care about her as much as I do. The memories we have, haunt us, somehow, and every now and then, it's hard to push them away. But, I want you to know that I would never do anything that would hurt you or Emily. I hope you know that. "

I nodded. "I do plan on marrying her. She will be my wife. You have to deal with that, Sam. I don't ever want this to come between us. It's weird enough as it is."

He smiled at that. "Yea, tell me about it."

The back door opened and Dad walked out. "Am I interrupting anything?" he asked.

Sam shook his head and I said, "No. Just bro talk."

Dad smiled and told us that he had called Josiah's brother, Jason, to come and get him. He was on his way. "Is Jason like his brother?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No. Jason is his older brother and he's never phased. I tried to explain things to him the other day, and I told him that I would spend some time with him and Josiah to help them both through this." He looked up at the stars. "I forgot how beautiful it is out here at night."

Sam and I looked up at the night sky. It was really something. Dad said, "Embry, I called your mom. She got a call from the school today letting her know you didn't show up."

I looked over at him_. Shit._ "I should have called her. Sorry."

"Yea, she was pretty frantic. She thought to call Emily and she filled her in. I think you need to take a minute and call her, OK?"

I nodded and pulled my phone out of my pocket. "Hey," Dad said. I turned to him. "I'm planning on asking your mom to marry me soon. How do you feel about that?"

_Wow. How did I feel about that? It's not like I didn't see it coming._ I smiled and answered, "It's about fucking time!" He laughed and hugged me to him. He patted my back and then turned to Sam.

Dad asked him, "How do you feel about that?"

Sam shrugged and said, "The past is the past, Dad. We can't change it. I know how it is to imprint on someone." He glanced at me. "You can't live without her, so you better make an honest woman of her," he added with a smile. Dad hugged him and said, "Thanks, son. That really means a lot to me."

"Um, speaking of Mom, I'm going to go and call her." They both nodded and I walked a few steps out into the yard to make my call.

Leah POV:

I helped Emily wash all of the dishes. I was trying very hard to push the conversation with Josiah out of my mind. As we worked in the kitchen, the guys all took turns leaving for their homes. Soon, it was just me and Emily and Mom in the kitchen. I hung the dish towel up and asked Mom, "Is Seth still with Abby?"

She nodded and smiled. "Yes. She called her mom when she got here and told her she was fine, and she would be home soon. Can you believe that? She's been missing since yesterday, and she suddenly seems in no hurry to go home!"

"I can't believe her parents weren't in a hurry to get her home," Emily said.

"Well, I talked to her mother on the phone. I get the feeling Abby doesn't have the greatest home life. Her mother seemed happy that Abby was OK, but she also said something about how she and her boyfriend had tickets to some Monster Truck rally tonight, and so they would be much obliged if I could bring her home when she was ready."

I rolled my eyes at that and said, "That's horrible. She has no idea what her daughter has been through. Did anyone find out about the boy Abby was with when Josiah took her?"

Emily nodded. "I called Bella and asked. Charlie said they found him in the woods. He's fine. He was knocked unconscious, and he has no idea what happened to Abby. I told her to relay to him that she was found, and she's fine. I guess we'll have to make up some story to tell them about how Abby got lost or something."

I stood up and said, "I think I'll pay a visit to little Miss Abby and see what my smooth-talking brother is up to." Mom smiled at me and I patted her shoulder as I walked by. I walked down the hall past Josiah's room. I stopped to check in on him. He was lying down on the bed now, and he looked to be sleeping peacefully. I smiled and was glad at that. I moved on down to the room Abby and Seth were in.

It was very quiet as I walked up to the door. I peeked in to find Seth sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard with his arm around Abby and he was kissing her! I walked in and cleared my throat loudly. Seth jumped and said, "Uh, hi, Leah." He took his arm from around Abby and scooted away from her – just a little.

"What's going on in here? I didn't realize you knew each other that well, Seth."

Seth smiled and said, "Uh, we're getting to know each other." Abby looked over at me and smiled shyly.

I gave him a look and he shrugged. I smiled sweetly and said, "Well, I hope you don't mind if I sit down here for a little while. I don't know Abby at all, and I thought I would stop in and chat a little." I sat down on the bed next to Abby.

Seth scowled at me while Abby smiled and said, "Yea, that's great!"

"So you two know each other from school?" I asked.

Abby lit up and told me how they were in the same math class. She giggled and said she always thought Seth was cute, but she was never brave enough to talk to him. _Mmmm, hmmm. Well, she seemed brave enough now to let him put his lips on her!_

She went on to tell me that she was a cheerleader, which was no big surprise, and she was a straight-A student and she wanted to be a nurse someday to help people. She said that Mom had invited her to stop by the hospital someday and she would show here around.

"That would be so cool! I love that your mom is a nurse. She took really good care of me when I first got here. She made me feel a lot better," she gushed.

I nodded and stood up. "Well, we should get you home soon. Your own mom is probably pretty worried about you."

I felt bad for saying that when I saw her face fall. The pretty smile disappeared and she hung her head and said, "I doubt that. She told me that she and Jim, her new boyfriend of the month, were going to some Monster Truck show tonight and she'd see me 'whenever.' She goes out a lot."

Seth took her hand and said, "That sucks." She smiled a little and looked over at him.

"Mom is getting ready to leave soon, and I know she is planning on taking you home, so you might as well head out to the living room, OK?" I told them.

Abby nodded and Seth looked disappointed. I stood up to go and said, "I hope to see you again soon, Abby."

"Yea, me, too!" she replied excitedly. That made Seth smile. I winked at him and turned and left the room.

Embry POV:

I needed to find Leah. I had been away from her for way too long. I had called Mom and apologized to her for not calling sooner. She said she felt better now hearing my voice and knowing that Leah and I were both OK. I told her I would be home soon.

Dad was waiting for Jason to get here then I knew he would stop in and see Mom. I walked back into the house and saw her in the hall coming out of the room Abby was in. I walked up to her and took her in my arms and kissed her. I kept kissing her so she wouldn't be mad and yell at me anymore. We had been apart too long, and now all I wanted to do was hold her. Well, that wasn't all I wanted to do.

She pulled back and said to me, "Aren't you clever? You think if you kiss me, I'll forget I'm mad at you." I laughed and she said, "I know you too well, Embry."

"Yea, you do. But if you really know me so well, what do I really want to do?" I asked as I kissed her neck.

"Mmmmm, I think I can guess," she said softly.

"Let's get out of here, Leah. I want to be alone with you," I whispered. She nodded and I took her hand and led her down the hall. We met Sue coming toward us.

"I'm beat. I'm going to take Abby home then go home and catch some sleep. Are you heading home?" she asked Leah.

"Yea, but I want to spend a little time with Embry first then I'll have him run me home, OK?" She smiled and nodded.

"Oh, Mom?" Sue turned back. "Make a lot of noise before you walk into Abby's room." She gave Leah a curious look then Leah said, "They are getting to know each other a little more quickly than we anticipated if you know what I mean." She looked surprised then shook her head and smiled. She walked down the hall and coughed very loudly before walking into the room.

I looked at Leah and laughed. She just glared at me. "What? I told you he was a natural, Leah. I knew when I carried Abby out of that cave and handed her to Seth, this would happen. I could just see it in the way they looked at each other."

"You don't think he imprinted, do you?" I asked anxiously. He was only 15! He didn't need that right now.

Embry shook his head. "No, it wasn't like that. I think it's just a flirtation."

We walked out to the kitchen to find Sam and Emily kissing. It had been awhile since I walked in on them like that. I thought about what Sam and I talked about out back. I knew he was in love with Emily. It was very obvious. I just wish he could put Leah completely out of his mind.

"Um, hey guys, we're taking off," I said.

They broke apart and Sam said, "OK." He looked at Leah and asked, "See you at the next pack meeting?"

She smiled and replied, "I'll let you know." He nodded. They both said goodnight, and we walked outside.

I slapped my forehead and said, "My truck is at home! I was in such a hurry this morning, I didn't drive it."

"It's not that far to my house. Let's just walk there, OK?" I nodded and took her hand and we walked through the woods toward Leah's house. We walked in silence for awhile. It had been a helluva 24 hours. I was exhausted and I knew Leah probably was, too. We hadn't had a chance to talk at all about what happened to her. I didn't know if I should pry, but I wanted to make sure she was OK.

"Leah? While you were away, did he . . . do anything to you?"

She was very quiet for a few seconds then she asked, "What do you mean? Like try to hurt me?"

"Well, yea, but . . . I mean, you know, like . . . "

She stopped and turned to me and asked, "You mean, sexually?"

"Yea."

She shook her head. "No. He was very gentle with me. The only time he touched me other than carrying me, he put out his hand and stroked down the back of my head to my back. He did that twice."

"Oh," was all I could say. She smiled and put her hand on my cheek. "It's OK. I'm fine. He didn't do anything to hurt me at all. Like I said, he was very gentle with me."

I felt very relieved. "Good. Thanks for telling me that."

"You're welcome," she said as she started walking again. She was very quiet again, and I hoped that she wasn't holding something back from me. We walked up to her house and I wanted so badly to sweep her up into my arms and carry her up to her bedroom. I looked up at the window and remembered the last time I left here. _Was that just last night?_

"Are you thinking about us being here all alone last night?" she asked me as she put her arms around my waist.

"Yes. Yes, I am," I said with a sly smile.

"Me, too."

I leaned forward and kissed her. "How long do you think it will take your mom to drive Abby home?"

"Not long enough, I'm afraid. I want so badly to spend all night with you. I want to know what it's like to wake up in your arms." She wrapped her arms around my waist and kissed me, ever so gently on the lips.

That did it! I didn't care how little time we had, I needed to be with her. I took her hand and led her to the door. She took the hidden key from under the rock and unlocked the door and we went inside. We ran up the stairs to her room and shut and locked her bedroom door. She took my hand and led me over to the bed.

She smiled at me as she took her shirt off and threw it on the floor. I reached for her and she wrapped her arms around my neck as my lips met hers. The fire ignited and spread as always through my whole body. We shed our clothes and lay down on the bed. I didn't want to be in a hurry, but I couldn't help it. All of the fear that had been with me in the last 24 hours was finally melting away as I lost myself in Leah. I kissed her everywhere and she sighed and begged me for more. She ran her hands all over me until I couldn't take it anymore. I rolled her over and moved on top of her. She wrapped herself around me and whispered, "Yes, Embry, please!" I pushed inside her and stopped just to enjoy that feeling of being completely surrounded by her. I had my face in her hair and I inhaled her scent. I lifted my head and looked down into her eyes. She smiled at me and I smiled back. I bent and kissed her then I started moving, slowly at first then faster as the feeling took me. We both cried out as we reached the peak and she squeezed me with her legs as she shuddered. I couldn't imagine any better feeling in the world.

I rolled to the side and took her with me so I was still inside her. I moved her hair out of her face and whispered, "I love you so much, baby. You are everything to me."

I saw a tear leave her eye and roll slowly down her cheek. I reached up and wiped it away as she said, "I love you, too, Embry. I wish we could stay like this forever."

I smiled and kissed her. "Leah, I don't want to leave you, but you know I have to." She nodded. "Someday, I promise, I won't have to. I will hold you all night long."

"I can't wait," she said with a smile. We held each other for a while longer then I forced myself to pull away from her. I got out of bed and grabbed my shorts and put them on. She laid there in bed and watched me. I turned to her and leaned down and put another kiss on her lips. "I love you. See you tomorrow, OK?" She nodded and said, "I love you."

I turned and walked to the door, unlocked it and opened it. I stopped and looked back at her. Her hair was spread out over the pillows and she had covered up with the sheet. We smiled at each other then I finally walked out into the hall and closed the door. I made my way down the stairs and went out the back door. I force myself to turn and run toward home.


	47. Chapter 47

CHAPTER 47

Leah POV:

I laid there and closed my eyes and tried to bring back that feeling of being wrapped up here with Embry. I loved him so much, how could I have let Josiah kiss me? And why couldn't I tell Embry about it? I threw my arm over my eyes and sighed. I guess I wanted to wait to see what Josh had to say first. Then I would tell him. Even if he had imprinted on me, I knew I could never care for Josiah. I felt pity for him and possibly friendship, but nothing more. I loved Embry, and only Embry.

I was exhausted. It had been a very long, very strange 24 hours. I got up and threw on a tank top and pajama pants and went and used the bathroom. I heard the door open downstairs and Mom and Seth came into the house. I gathered my hair up and put it into a pony tail and walked down the stairs.

"Well, hey there. You beat us home!" Mom said.

"Yea, Embry forgot he didn't have his truck. So he walked me here then headed home to see his mom. She was pretty upset with him because he missed school and didn't call her," I told her.

"I guess he had other things on his mind, huh?"

I smiled and said, "I guess." Seth walked by me and started upstairs. "Hey!" I said as I reached out and grabbed his arm.

He looked at me and said, "What?"

"What's up with you and Abby?"

"I don't know. I like her, she likes me. We decided to hang out, you know?" _Who is this guy? Where is my little brother?_

I smiled and shook my head. "Listen to you. I swear you've turned into the old Embry, the one I used to know. I guess he was right about you."

He laughed and said, "I don't know about that. I really do like her, Leah. She's funny and cute and . . . I just want to be with her."

"Good answer. You know she was with a boy, um, making out when she was taken. I take it she wasn't very serious about him?"

He shrugged. "I guess not. She told me she would tell him tomorrow that she didn't want to see him anymore."

"Uh-huh, and what about Ashley?"

"What about her? I told you she was pissed at me. I guess I'll just let her be pissed," he said.

"Well, you might want to at least tell her you're sorry things didn't work out between you THEN move on with Abby. I think that would be the proper thing to do."

He rolled his eyes as me. "Yea, whatever. I just really want to be with Abby."

"OK. I like her, Seth. Bring her around sometime, alright?"

He smiled and said, "Oh, I plan on it."

I nodded and said, "Goodnight, Seth." He reached out and hugged me. "I'm glad you're home," he said softly.

"Me, too. Thanks for everything you did today." He let go and nodded then ran upstairs. It was great having a little brother who cared about me so much.

Mom was in the kitchen. I could hear her moving around in there. I wanted to talk to her so I walked into the kitchen to see her. "Hey, Mom. You have to be exhausted. What are you doing in here?"

"Oh, I am. But I am too keyed up to sleep. I thought I would have some tea. That usually relaxes me enough to sleep. Want some?"

"Yea, I do." I pulled another cup out of the cupboard and set it on the counter. She put a tea bag in it and reached for the tea kettle. She poured hot water into both cups and handed me one. I sat down at the kitchen table and she joined me.

"What's on your mind, kiddo?" she asked as she dipped her tea bag.

I looked up at her and said, "Embry and I had an interesting conversation last night, and I kind of wanted to tell you about it." I took my tea bag and dipped it up and down in my cup.

She waited.

"Um, we talked about getting married," I said sheepishly then glanced up to see what she thought about that. I tried to read her expression, but she was good at hiding how she really felt.

"Really? Are we talking soon, or sometime in the future? Are we talking have-to, or want-to?"

I laughed at that and said, "Want-to, not have-to, and not this Christmas, but next Christmas." I saw her relax so I went on, "You see, Jake and Embry want to save up enough money to put a down payment on Mr. Collin's garage. He told Jake that he wants to sell it to them. So, Embry figures that will take until next summer and he wants to wait until the shop takes off and he can afford to support me. So, that means waiting until next Christmas."

"Uh-huh. Well, it's good to know he is thinking ahead. So, does this mean . . . you're engaged?" she asked with a smile.

"Well, not officially. Embry told me that he doesn't have a ring, and he hasn't 'officially' proposed, but he says that he will," I told her. I could feel the big smile spread across my face.

Mom reached out and touched my hand and said, "Honey, I'm happy for you. Embry is a great guy, and I can see how devoted he is to you. But I have to say I am glad that you aren't rushing into anything. I'll really miss you when you move out."

I smiled and said, "Yea, me too. The thing is, I don't know if I can wait that long to marry him. You know, it took me so long to give in and love him, and now, I hate being away from him for even a few hours. The last 24 hours were hell, Mom. Not just because of Josiah, but, being away from Embry. It's . . . so hard to explain. It's like . . . I need him too much. I want to be with him all of the time."

She took another sip of her tea then set cup on the table and smiled at me. "I remember what's it like to be in love like that, Leah. It's amazing, and all-consuming. " She closed her eyes for a minute. She was thinking about Dad. I knew she still missed him so much. She opened her eyes and looked at me. "I never told you this, Leah, but I was in love with someone else . . . before I married your father."

_What did she just say? I couldn't have heard that right. _I set my cup of tea down and looked at her. "What? You weren't thinking of Dad just now?"

"Oh, honey, I loved your father very much. I still do and I miss him every day! But, I was older when I met your father and more mature. Our love was very strong and very binding. I will always love him. But, it was so different than what I felt for . . . well, when I was much younger, I fell in love with a boy I had known in school."

"Tell me, Mom," I encouraged.

She took a drink of tea and looked at me then said, "It was the summer after I graduated. I had a part-time job waiting tables at the little restaurant in town. I had the day off and I went to the beach. I was going to meet a couple of my girlfriends there and we were just going to hang out and relax. I got there and spread out my towel and sat down to wait for them. All of a sudden, a Frisbee came sailing across the beach and hit me right in the back of the head!" She laughed and I smiled. "I picked up the Frisbee and looked around to see where it had come from. I spotted this boy jogging toward me and recognized him as Cole Hamlin. He was funny and very, very good looking. We had known each other in school, but we really didn't hang out in the same circles, you know? He ran up and apologized profusely for hitting me. He plopped down next to me to ask if I was OK. I assured him I was. I handed him the Frisbee, but instead of getting up and running back to his friends, he sat there and talked to me for awhile. I was quite shocked, to say the least! Boys that handsome just didn't sit down and talk to me, you know?"

"Mom! I've seen pictures of you when you were in high school. You were pretty!" I told her.

She smiled. "Well, thank you. But, I wasn't as pretty as the girls Cole usually spent time with. We ended up spending the rest of that day together. Our friends all meshed and we swam and had fun. Later that night, we had a bonfire. It was quite a day. Then, that night . . . he took me home, and he kissed me." She closed her eyes and smiled. "Oh my. I had never been kissed like that before." She opened her eyes. "I fell for him right there and then, really hard. We spent all of our free time together after that." She picked up her cup and drank some tea.

I looked at her and was a little shocked by what I was hearing! But I was very intrigued. "Go on," I encouraged.

"Well, his family was much better off than mine. His father was making him go to college back east to get some fancy business degree. He always wanted more for his son than he had, although he was doing pretty well for himself. He owned a huge lumber company, and Cole was working there part-time for the summer. So, we knew we only had so much time together and he would be leaving. It kind of put a shadow over us. One night, we were in Cole's car and we were, um . . ."

"Making out?" I supplied.

She smiled and said, "OK, making out, and he told me he loved me. I remember crying and telling him I loved him, too." She looked down for a moment, lost in her memory. She took a deep breath and went on, "Leah, I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I let him make love to me that night. And, that wasn't the only time that summer." She looked up at me. She looked into my eyes to see if I was judging her. How could I? I had been doing the same thing all summer with Embry.

"It's OK, Mom. I get it." She nodded. I guess she probably suspected Embry and I were that close anyway. She smiled and said, "It was . . . amazing, and all-consuming. I was very in love with him."

"So, what happened? Did he go off to college?" I asked anxiously.

"We spent the summer together and as fall got closer . . . I found out I was pregnant."

My eyes grew wide. "What? Really? Oh, Mom," I said sadly.

She nodded. "Yes. When I found out, I didn't know what to do. I loved him and wanted to marry him. I knew that. But, I knew that his family already didn't think I was good enough for him. He didn't want to leave me to go to college back east, but he also didn't want to go against his father. I was afraid to tell him. But, I knew I had to. So, one night, we went for a walk on the beach. I took his hand and told him I loved him, and that I was pregnant with his child. He was so happy! He picked me up and twirled me around. He set me down and kissed me and told me he loved me. I thought my heart would burst I was so happy! But then . . . " She stopped and stood up and put her tea cup into the sink. "He told his father that he was going to marry me. He asked him for a job at the lumber company so he could support us." She turned around and I saw tears in her eyes. "His father refused him, but offered to give him money so I could 'get rid of the bastard.' Great guy, huh?"

"Oh, Mom! That's horrible!" I felt my heart ache for her.

"Yes, it was. Cole told me he didn't care, he would find another job. He wanted to marry me. He wanted our baby." Tears were spilling from her eyes now, and leaving trails down her cheeks. She leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms in front of her as if to hug herself. "The problem was solved, according to his father, when I miscarried a week later."

I got up and went to her and put my arms around her. "Mom, I'm so sorry." She let me hold her then she gently pushed me away. "It's OK, Leah. It was a very long time ago." She moved to sit back down at the table. I sat down across from her and asked, "But what about Cole? What happened?"

She smiled and said, "He married me anyway. We went to a Justice of the Peace and got married. We found a little apartment and moved in and two months later, he, um . . . he was killed in a car accident. He was hit by a drunk driver." She hung her head and I felt tears well up and spill from my eyes.

"Oh, Mom. How did you go on?" I asked as I wiped the tears from my eyes.

She looked up and I could see the tears in her eyes as she said, "It wasn't easy. I didn't do anything for a long time. Finally my mother made me move back home with her and she told me every day that Cole wouldn't want me to just exist. He would want me to go on living. It finally started to sink in and one day . . . I started living again. I used the money I got from the car accident to go to school to become a nurse. And then, I met your father." She smiled through her tears. "He made everything right again. He married me and gave me two beautiful children and this house and more love than I could ever imagine. I was lucky enough to have two very different men love me, Leah. Very lucky." She reached out and took my hand. "And you have been lucky to have two men love you, Leah. It's weird that they are brothers, but still, they are both good men. I know that Embry will love you and be a good husband to you. I'm happy for you, baby."

I smiled at her and said, "Thank you for telling me that, Mom. I'm so glad you shared that part of you with me."

She smiled and said, "Sometimes it's hard for me to realize that you're all grown up. I miss my little girl. And yet, it's nice to have you to talk to as a friend."

"I like that, too. I really do." I stood up and went over to her. She stood up and we hugged. "I love you, Mom."

"Aw, I love you, too, baby girl. I'm so happy you're home and safe." I pulled away and we laughed at the tears we both had on our faces.

"I've had enough crying today! That's it!" she said as she wiped her eyes. "Come on, let's get to bed." She gave me a push toward the door.

I was exhausted, but amazed that Mom had opened up to me like that. It made me feel so much closer to her. We walked up the stairs and I stopped at my bedroom door and said, "Goodnight, Mom."

She smiled and said, "Goodnight, honey," then she walked on to her room and closed the door.


	48. Chapter 48

CHAPTER 48

Embry POV:

Dad's truck was at the house by the time I got there. I walked up the steps and into the house and found them sitting on the couch talking. As soon as Mom saw me, she jumped up and hurried over to hug me. "Oh, Embry. Are you OK? Your dad has been telling me what all happened today. Leah's OK?"

I nodded and she let me go so I could sit down in the chair. "Yea, everyone's OK, but I am beat." I put my head back and closed my eyes. "I can't remember ever being this tired!"

She laughed and said, "Well, get to bed and we can talk tomorrow. I can call in to school for you in the morning if you want me to."

I looked at the clock. It was already quarter to one in the morning. "I don't know. I'll see how I feel in the morning," I told her.

She had sat back down beside Dad. I looked over at him and asked, "Is Josiah OK?"

"His brother, Jason, picked him up and took him home. I told them I would be over on Saturday to talk some more with them. I gave them some advice on what to do in the meantime if he phases again."

"Are you going to send him to that reservation up north?" I asked.

He nodded. "I think so, for a little while at least. I'm not sure."

"I'm just worried about him coming back here for Leah."

"Yea, I get that, son. I plan on talking to him more about that. Leah seems to think that he . . . well, I'm sure she told you about her imprinting theory."

_Imprinting? I don't remember Leah saying anything about that! _"Imprinting? Who?"

Dad hung his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have opened my mouth."

"Yea, but you did, so talk," I ordered.

He looked over at me and said, "Leah is worried that Josiah may have imprinted on her."

"What? That's impossible! Leah and I imprint . . . well, we thought we might have imprinted on each other. Why would someone else imprint on Leah?"

"Well, I don't think he has. I talked to him a little about it and asked him a few questions. He's convinced that he has some kind of connection with her, but I don't think it's imprinting. Whatever this connection is, it's not as strong as imprinting."

_Why didn't Leah tell me? Did she think I would me mad at her about it? It wasn't her fault. _"I guess she didn't want to worry me," I said.

"I'm sure that's it. You've been through enough today," Dad said.

"I'm going to bed. Thanks, Dad, for your help today."

He stood up and hugged me to him. "I'm glad I was there for you. Get some sleep, son." Mom stood up and hugged me and said, "Goodnight, honey. I love you."

"Love you, too," I said. I walked slowly to my room and closed the door. I fell onto my bed and wondered again about why Leah didn't tell me about this imprinting thing. _I guess I'll ask her tomorrow. Right now, I'm beat. _I was out in no time.

In the morning, Mom called me in as sick, but after I got up at ten, I decided to go for at least a half day. I didn't want to get too far behind. At lunch time, I called Jake and asked him if we could work on the Jeep. I really wanted to get it done for Leah. I also wanted to get back to normal as soon as possible. He told me he thought that was a great idea and he would be ready.

We thought that we might need another pair of hands today, so I was sitting in the truck after school waiting for Seth. _Where is this kid? _I was impatient to get going. I finally spotted him. He was standing over by a car with his lips on a girl. _Wait. That's not Ashley. And it doesn't look like Abby. That's Ginny Long, and she's a senior! __And not just any senior – she was fast. I remember making out with her fall of my junior year. She was one of the ones I almost went all the way with. It was a good thing we were interrupted or I would have. She was hot! Maybe he was more like me than I thought._

He finally pulled himself away and jogged over toward the truck. He hopped in and grinned at me. I shook my head as I pulled out of the parking lot and said, "Dude? What the hell was that? What happened to Ashley?"

"Ashley and I broke up. I moved on."

"Yea, but I thought you moved on to Abby. Remember? Abby? The girl you were making out with last night?"

"Yea, me and Abby are cool. She's breaking up with her boyfriend right now," he answered.

"So what's with Ginny Long? She's a senior, bro! How did that happen?"

"Well, I was standing in the hall talking to Jared and Kim and Ginny comes up to ask Kim something. I just looked at her and nodded and said, 'Hey.' She gave me a stellar smile and then finished talking to Kim and walked away. Next thing I know, after school she comes up to me and asks me to walk her to her car. I said, 'Sure,' and well, you saw what happened next. She was all over me, dude! She is hot!"

_Oh man. I really need to talk to this boy. He was going to get himself in a heap of trouble. _"OK, Seth. You and me need to talk." He looked over at me with a curious look on his face. "You are moving way too fast, bro. And here's why. You see, now that you've phased and joined the pack, there is something you need to know about being a wolf. For some reason, after we phase, we become more physical. Do you know what I mean?" I glanced over at him and added, "Sexually." He quickly looked out the window and avoided my eye contact. "Seth? You know what I mean, don't you?"

He looked back at me and muttered, "Yea. I have been feeling, well, really different lately. I've been . . . thinking about that . . . a lot."

I smiled and said, "Yea, I get that. And part of that is just natural for a guy your age. But, being a wolf makes it . . . more intense, I guess. And it doesn't help hanging out around us, does it?"

He shook his head and said emphatically, "No, it really doesn't. Especially Paul."

I laughed. "No one likes to see what goes on in Paul's head! Look, I remember when I first phased. I was just 16 and it was so hard being around Sam. He had imprinted on Emily not long before that and . . . well . . . it was more than I wanted to see." I glanced at him and went on, "I had kissed girls before I phased, but . . . you know, just kissed. Nothing else. But after, well, it was really hard to keep myself under control. When I found myself with a girl, all I thought about was kissing her. Then, when I was kissing her, it would turn into a make out session and I felt my hands wandering and myself thinking about doing other things. Do you know what I mean?"

"I know about sex, Embry. How could I not?" he shot at me.

I laughed. "Yea, I know you know about sex. But knowing and doing are two different things, bro. I want you to talk to me before you find yourself in a situation you don't know how to get out of, OK? You're only 15. That's too young for girls like Ginny Long. I went out with her, and dude, if we hadn't been interrupted . . . well, she is hot. But she is way too hot for you. Get it?"

"Yea, I get it. You don't want me having sex. But why can't I have a little fun, bro? You made out with a lot of girls, Embry. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

I smiled. He had me there. "Yea, OK. But you have to remember to treat them right. I went out with a girl because I liked her and wanted to spend time with her, not just to make out with her. And I NEVER forced myself on a girl. EVER. That's not cool, dude. And if you really like Abby, then don't be going off with girls like Ginny just for a quick make-out session. How do you think Abby will feel if that gets back to her?" He hung his head and shrugged his shoulders.

I pulled up to Jake's garage and turned off the engine. I looked over at Seth and said, "Listen, Seth. High school can be a lot of fun, and I want you to have fun. Just be careful, OK? And don't rush into anything. As hard as it was to hold back, I'm glad that I didn't have sex with any of those girls. I'm glad that I waited to find love first. I know that sounds really corny, but, I guess I want you to have that, too, OK?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yea, I get it. Is the sex talk over for now?"

I laughed and shoved him. "Yea it's over . . . _for now_." We climbed out of the truck and walked into the garage. Jake had pushed the Jeep into the garage to be ready for today. "Jake? You here?" I hollered.

"Yea!" He walked out from behind the Jeep wiping his hands on a shop rag. "Bout time you got here!"

"I had to wait for Seth here to pull his lips off of Ginny Long. Can you believe that?" I told him.

He whistled and looked at Seth. "No shit? Ginny Long? Dude, she's hot. You better watch yourself with her."

"Yea, yea, I know. Embry already gave me a sex talk on the way over. Can we just get to work or what?" Seth said.

Jake laughed and said, "OK, let's get to work. You can tell me all about Ginny later. This I gotta hear!" Seth just grinned as Jake grabbed him around the neck and rubbed his head. He let him go and told him to run into the house and grab us some pop to drink. Seth took off and Jake turned to me and said, "Ginny Long? Dude, he IS just like you!"

I laughed and said, "I know, right? Why do you think I talked to him about sex on the way over?" I walked over to the bench and picked up some tools. "Come on, let's get going on this engine. I can't wait to give this to Leah!"

We were so close to finishing the Jeep I could taste it! It was going on six, and Jake had dinner plans with Bella. Besides, I hadn't seen Leah since last night and I really missed her. "OK, let's knock off for tonight. We can finish this tomorrow," I said with a touch of disappointment.

Jake smiled and said, "It's OK, bro. I'll try to work on it tomorrow during the day. I know you're in a hurry to give Leah the Jeep."

I grinned at him. "Thanks, Jake. You're the best."

"Yea, I know. You don't deserve me," he shot back at me with his famous grin. I shoved him and said, "I really don't, but I'm glad you're around."

Seth rolled his eyes and said, "Come on, you guys. Are you gonna kiss now, or what?" We both grabbed at him and made smoochy noises at him and all three of us were on the floor wrestling in no time. That's when Bella walked in.

"Hey! Hello? Can you stop rolling around on the floor and grow up a little?" she hollered at us. Of course Jake jumped up right away.

"Uh, hey, Bells. Just having a little fun with Seth, that's all." Spineless. Completely spineless.

I stood up and held out my hand to Seth, who took it and stood up. "Yea, did you want to join us?" I said with a leer.

She rolled her eyes and said to me, "In your dreams, Embry!"

"Hey, how have you seen my dreams?" I shot back. Jake gave me a very evil look and I just laughed. "Oh come on, bro. Just having a little fun with Bella. She knows I'm just teasing her."

She was laughing. "I know. You only dream about Leah. Too bad for me, huh?" Jake looked at her in shock and I just cracked up. I walked over to her and picked her up in a big bear hug.

"That's my girl!" I said as I set her down. She smiled and messed up my hair. I smoothed it back into place as I looked over at Seth and said, "Come on, little brother. Let's get out of here and give the lovebirds some time alone."

He said goodbye to Bella and Jake then we headed for the truck. I started the engine and tore out of the drive. "I'm in a hurry to see your sister."

"Maybe I'll call Abby and see how it went breaking up with her boyfriend."

I glanced over at him and grinned. "Life is more fun with girl in it, bro. I cannot deny that."

He grinned back and said, "I have to agree with that!" We laughed and I pressed the gas pedal to the floor.

Leah POV:

Mom left for work but not before she left me a list of chores to do today. I missed the due date for my paper, so I emailed the professor and asked if I could email to her this afternoon. She answered back that was OK, but she would have to deduct 10 points for lateness. Oh well. I sat down and finished it first thing and emailed to her. I was glad to be rid of it!

Then I started on the chore list. I was actually glad to have something to keep me busy. Less time to think. My mind was crowded with my talk with Josiah, my talk with Mom, and thoughts of Embry. Not to mention, Seth and Abby! I was mopping the kitchen floor when the phone rang. I put the mop in the bucket and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Leah? It's Josh."

"Oh, hi! What's up?"

"Well, I wanted to let you know that I kind of spilled the beans last night about your imprinting theory with Josiah to Embry. I'm so sorry. I just figured you had already told him." _Shit. _"Then I found out you hadn't. So, I didn't mean to cause any trouble. He told me he thought you probably didn't say anything because you didn't want to worry him."

"I didn't. I wanted to wait until you talked to Josiah to see if there was anything to worry about!"

"I'm sorry, Leah. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, it's OK. I'll talk to him tonight."

"Well, I wanted you to know that I did ask Josiah a few questions, and I really don't think he has imprinted on you. He is convinced there is some kind of connection, and maybe there is, but it's not as strong as imprinting."

"Huh. Weird. Well, I'm glad he didn't imprint. I could never return those feelings, and his life will be hard enough."

"Yes, it will. OK, I'll let you go. I just wanted to give you a heads-up before you talked to Embry."

"Thanks, Josh. Talk to you later," I said.

"Yep. Bye." I hung up the phone and leaned against the counter. _Great. I hope Embry isn't upset with me. I really didn't want him to worry about it._

I walked back over and picked up the mop to finish the floor.

I finished my chore list and went to take a shower and clean up before Embry came over. I walked into my room with a towel around me and looked into the closet for something to wear. The days were growing much cooler now as we headed into October. It was rainy and cool today, but with my high temp of 108, I still couldn't wear sweaters anymore. I pulled on some jeans and a tank top then threw a purple blouse on over it. I brushed the tangles out of my hair and added a little eye shadow, mascara and lip gloss. I decided I had better hurry. It was almost six!

I had a roast in the oven with carrots and potatoes and a salad ready in the fridge. I had even baked a cake earlier in the day for dessert. I felt like Betty Crocker or something! I didn't mind. I liked cooking for Embry and Seth. They were always so appreciative and made me feel like a good cook.

I heard the door open just as I hit the top of the stairs. I ran down them and into Embry's arms! He lifted me off of my feet and said, "Hey, baby. I missed you today." _Music to my ears._ Then he kissed me. And kissed me. And kissed me.

"Come on, guys. That's long enough," Seth complained. Embry stepped back, but kept his hands on my hips and said, "Not nearly long enough, dude."

"Hey, I gave you longer than you gave me today," Seth said. "And then you yelled at me for it!"

She looked at me and said, "You yelled at him? For what?"

I grinned at her and said, "You bet I did. I was waiting for him after school today and caught him making out with Ginny Long."

She spun around and walked over to Seth. "What? Seth! What were you thinking? Ginny Long?"

"Why does everyone say her name like that? _Ginny Long? _Like she's some criminal or something," Seth complained.

"Maybe because of her skanky reputation! She's way too fast for you, little brother. And what happened to Ashley? And Abby? You were all gaga over her just last night!"

"I broke up with Ashley. And, me and Abby, we're cool. She went to break up with her boyfriend after school. I'm going to go and call her and see how it went."

He started for the stairs when I reached out and grabbed his arm. "Hold it! So how were you making out with Ginny Long, of all people?" I asked him.

"Look, Leah, Ginny came up to me, I didn't go to her. She saw me talking to Jared and Kim during lunch then after school she asked me to walk her to her car. Next thing I know, she's all over me and she asks me if I want her to kiss me. What am I going to do? Lie? Of course I wanted her to kiss me! So, we . . . kissed. That's all."

"Uh, yea. They were kissing all right. I told him Ginny was too fast for him. We had a talk, Leah. He understands," Embry explained. He looked into my eyes and I finally got that he meant THAT talk.

I nodded then said to Seth, "Well, good. You better watch it, little brother. I don't want have to go to school and kick Ginny's ass, but I will if I have to!" Embry laughed at that and asked, "Can I watch?" I smacked his arm and told him to shut up.

"Yea, whatever. It's not that big of a deal," Seth sulked. "You need to quit treating me like a baby, geez." Embry chuckled at that, and I gave him a look. Seth stomped upstairs to call Abby.

"Yea, well, stay away from Ginny Long! And dinner is in 10 minutes!" I called after him then I turned and headed for the kitchen to check on the roast.

Embry followed me and said, "Come on, Leah, he's right. He isn't a baby anymore."

"Yea, I know. That's what worries me!" I said as I checked the timer on the oven. I turned back to Embry and said, "I mean, Ginny Long? I may go kick her ass anyway."

Embry really laughed at that. Then he pulled me to him and kissed me like he wanted to but couldn't because Seth was in the room. I melted into him and let him. I pressed myself into him and teased him with my tongue. He pulled his lips from mine to whisper in my ear, "How long until dinner?"

"Ten minutes," I whispered back.

"Mmmm, not nearly long enough," he said as his hands slid down to cup my ass. He put his lips back on mine and kissed me until I thought I would faint. He backed me up to the refrigerator and I put my hands under his shirt and slid them up and down his back. "What is it about you that drives me so crazy, baby? I want you ALL the time!"

"I don't know, but I want you all the time, too. I have a feeling when we do get married, we won't EVER get out of bed!" I told him.

He pulled back and looked into my eyes and laughed. "I can't think of anything better than that."

He kissed me some more then the timer on the oven dinged. I pulled away and said, "Dinner's ready."

"Good thing I'm hungry," Embry said with a smile. I moved to the oven to take the roast out.

"Can you call Seth?" I asked Embry. He went to get him as I finished putting dinner on the table.

They both walked into the kitchen and sat down. I handed the fork and knife to Seth and told him to cut the roast while I got drinks out of the fridge. I sat down and we all dug in.

"Oh my God, Leah. This is delicious. I am so glad that you are such a good cook!" Embry raved. "I can't wait until we can get married. Maybe I will finally gain some weight." I laughed at him.

"Married? Are you guys . . . engaged or something?" Seth asked. "Why don't I know about this?"

"No, we are not 'officially' engaged, but we've been talking about getting married someday," I told him.

"Yea, I gotta work up enough guts to ask the man of the house if I can marry her. I seem to remember someone telling me you were the man of the house," Embry said as he shoved another bite of meat into his mouth.

Seth smiled at that and said, "Whenever you get up enough guts, I'll talk to you." He took another bite of potatoes.

"Mighty nice of you," I commented. He laughed.

"So how did it go for Abby? Did she break up with her boyfriend?" I asked

"Yea. He wasn't real happy about it, I guess. She said they have only been going out for three weeks, so she thinks he'll get over it."

"Well, I hope so. So, are you two going out now?"

"I don't know. Do I have to ask her out on a date or something?"

Embry laughed at that. I gave him a look then said to Seth, "Well, seeing that you already made out with her, uh, yea, I think you should ask her out. Maybe you guys can double with me and Embry."

Seth raised his eyebrows and replied, "Yea, OK. I'll ask her to see a movie this weekend."

"Sounds good," I told him.

We finished dinner and I brought out dessert. "Oh man, dessert, too? What's the occasion?" Embry asked.

"We are celebrating being back to normal," I answered. They both smiled as I cut the cake and handed them each a piece. After they both ate three pieces each, we all pitched in and cleaned up the kitchen. I even managed to save a plate of dinner for Mom AND a piece of cake. That's not easy with three wolves in the house!

Seth announced he was going back upstairs to call Abby back. "I figure you guys want to make out anyway," he said as he headed up the stairs.

"You're a good man, bro!" Embry called after him. I rolled my eyes as he put his arm around me and led me to the couch. We sat down and he said, "Now, where were we before we interrupted by the oven timer." He bent to kiss me, but I put my hand up to his lips and said, "As much as I want to make out, I think we should talk for a little bit, OK?"

I felt like we should talk about what happened yesterday between me and Josiah. I felt guilty not telling him, and I wanted to get it over with. He gave me a curious look and said, "Why? What's going on?"

"Um, it's about Josiah." He nodded. "Last night, you asked me if anything happened between us and I wasn't completely truthful. I want to tell you about it now."

He settled back on the couch and said, "OK, let's talk."

I told him about when I took Josiah some food, and how we talked. I explained how Josiah felt there was a connection between us. I told him that I offered to be Josiah's friend, and how he took my hand. "And then, he leaned over and kissed me. I didn't see it coming, Embry! It was a short kiss because I jumped back pretty quickly."

I watched his face and could see the anger creep into his eyes. "I am so sorry, Embry! I should have told you, but at first I was afraid maybe Josiah imprinted on me, and I wanted to ask your Dad about it before I told you. I didn't want to get you upset if there was nothing to be upset about. But, I should have told you anyway."

He nodded, but didn't say anything. "I did talk to your dad today, and he says that he's pretty sure that Josiah DIDN'T imprint on me. He says he doesn't quite understand this connection that Josiah feels for me, but he doesn't think it's strong enough to be an imprint."

He nodded again then sat up and took my hand. "You didn't tell me because you didn't want me to be angry at Josiah, or you?"

"Both, I guess. I knew you'd want to hit Josiah for kissing me, and none of us needed that. I quickly explained to him that I was in love with you, and he backed down right away. I don't think he'll be a problem."

Embry cleared his throat and said, "Baby, when are you going to learn to trust me? I want you to talk to me. I don't like it when you keep things from me, OK?"

"I know. I am so sorry. It just freaked me out! I guess I went straight to your dad because I knew he would know how to handle it. I promise, from now on, I won't keep things from you because I am afraid they will upset you. Are we OK?"

He smiled and pulled me to him. "Oh yea. We are more than OK. We are perfect."


	49. Chapter 49

CHAPTER 49

Leah POV:

I was sitting on the front steps waiting for Embry. He had called and told me to wait out front because he wanted to show me something. I had no idea what was going on. Seth wasn't home yet, either, which was kind of weird. He was usually home from school by now. I was worried that he had been hijacked by Ginny in the parking lot again!

Just then, a red Jeep pulled up and parked in front of my house. _Who is that? _I thought at first that maybe Seth got a ride home from school with someone new, but then Embry climbed out from behind the wheel. "Hey, baby!" he called to me. "Come here and take a look, Leah." Then I noticed Seth climb out of the passenger side.

I stood up and walked toward him. He met me and pulled me into his arms. He kissed me and then pulled me over to the Jeep. "What do you think?" he asked me. I looked at him and kept trying to figure out why he was so excited.

"Um, it's cool? What's going on here, Embry? Where's your truck? Is this going to be your new ride?" I asked him.

He grinned and said, "Nope. It's yours, baby." He held the keys out to me. I glanced at Seth and saw he had a grin on his face, too. I took the keys and looked at them.

_What? Mine? _I just stood there in shock. He laughed and opened the driver's side door. "You need a vehicle, Leah, so we fixed this one up for you. It needed a new engine, so we got one and put it in, but everything else is in great shape! And it only has 88,000 miles on it! Now, I know it's a stick and you don't know how to drive a stick, but I can teach you. It's not that hard." I just looked at him. I had no idea what to say! _They did this . . . for me?_

"Leah? Do you like it?" he asked anxiously.

I looked back at him and said, "Yea! I'm just . . . shocked! I had no idea . . . yea, Embry, this is really cool." I turned and hugged him. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" He held me tight and said, "I'm so glad, baby."

"I still can't believe this. You're giving me a car! How? You can't afford this. You guys are saving for the shop!"

He told me the story about how they got it for free and they pieced together the engine. "I already ran it by your mom, so don't worry about that. I didn't want to give you a car then have her be upset about the insurance and license plates and stuff. " He turned to Seth and said, "Your mom said she left the license plate in the garage. Can you go get it for me and we'll put it on." He nodded and jogged to the garage.

I moved away from him and plopped down into the driver's seat. It was really cool! It was hard top Jeep so I could drive it in the winter. The interior looked great. Whoever had it before took really good care of it. Seth came jogging back with the plate and a screw driver and put the license plate on the Jeep as Embry told me more about it.

"Can we go for a drive?" I asked him.

"Of course!" he answered with a grin. "Hey, Seth! Jump in the back, bro!" He smiled and did just that. I walked around and got into the passenger seat as Embry got in behind the wheel. "OK, Leah, just watch what I do, then, later we'll find somewhere for you to try it, OK?" I just nodded. He explained the different gears to me and talked about the clutch and the gas, and I found myself very confused very quickly. He must have noticed cause he smiled and said, "Don't worry about all that right now. Just watch, OK?"

I smiled and said, "Yea, good. OK."

He started the engine and put the Jeep in gear and took off. He drove us around LaPush and I loved it! It rode great! He pulled over on a country road and said, "OK, you ready to try?" I looked at him and answered, "I don't know."

"Oh come on, Leah! Quit being such a baby. I think I could do it just from watching Embry," Seth said. I glanced back at him with a mean look and said, "Fine. Let's do this." I got out and walked around to the driver's side. Embry climbed out and looked down at me.

"It's not that hard. You just have to get the feel of the letting out the clutch at the same speed as you are pushing down on the gas. Once you get the hang of that, it's a piece of cake." He jogged around to the other side of the Jeep. I got in and took a deep breath. I adjusted the seat so I could reach the pedals and then adjusted the mirrors. I buckled my seat belt and looked over at him and asked, "What first?" He again explained the gears and how to move the gear shift. Then he told me about pushing the clutch in with my left foot and holding it there while I put my right foot on the gas pedal. _Lift the left foot while pushing with the right. OK, I could do this._ I checked to make sure the Jeep was in neutral, and I pushed in the clutch and put my right foot on the brake. Then I turned the key and started the engine. I moved the gear shift to first gear and looked at Embry. "You can do it, baby. If you move the clutch too fast, it will kill the engine. Remember slow."

I nodded and let the clutch out real slow then pushed on the gas. The Jeep leaped forward and then died. Seth laughed. I looked at him in the rearview mirror and he immediately shut up. "Come on, try it again. You were really close."

So, I tried a couple more times and I finally got it moving! "Yes! Now push in the clutch and move it down into second gear, then let the clutch out again as you give it gas." I tried and it worked! I got all excited! Embry kept giving me instructions and I managed to drive about a mile or so, then Embry told me how to pull over and stop. "Oh my gosh, Embry, I did it! That was so fun!"

We kept at it until I got it into third gear and drove for awhile. "You're a natural at this, Leah!" Embry said with a grin. I was on the road that drove right through town. I really felt I wasn't ready for that yet so I pulled over and told Embry to drive us home. We quickly switched drivers and Embry took off.

Embry pulled up to the house and parked it then turned off the engine. Seth scooted forward to put his head between me and Embry and said, "When do I get a turn?"

I smiled and looked over at him and said, "When you get a permit."

He rolled his eyes and looked over at Embry. "Come on, dude. One drive? Please?"

He grinned and said, "Sorry, bro. It's her car now."

He fell back and pouted for a minute then said, "Let me out, OK?" Embry got out of the Jeep and let Seth out. I heard him say, "Sorry, Seth. You'll get a shot, I promise." He smiled and took off for the house.

Embry climbed back into the Jeep and looked at me. I just stared at him and he said, "What? I hated to see him so disappointed, that's all."

I rolled my eyes at him then smiled. "Thank you. This is the coolest thing that anyone has ever done for me." I leaned toward him and kissed him. It wasn't as easy in this car as it was the truck! The center console and gear shift made it a little bit of a challenge. When we separated I told him that.

He laughed and said, "Well, we still have the truck, baby, don't worry. I don't think I would ever get rid of that. Especially since it holds such fond memories." He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I laughed.

I turned and climbed out of the Jeep. I shut the door and went to join Embry. We walked into the house and Mom smiled at me. "Surprise!" she said. She stood up to hug me. "Thanks, Mom. This is so awesome!"

"Well, you need a car. I would like to see you be able to take classes at a real college, honey. Now you can. I put some basic insurance on it for you. You may have to look for a part-time job though to keep gas in it. Especially to drive back and forth to school."

"I will, Mom, I promise! This is so awesome. I even learned how to drive it today. I will need a lot of practice to drive it as well as Embry, but I think I can do it."

"I'm sure you'll get it," she said.

"When I get better at it, I'll take you for a ride, OK?"

"I'll plan on it. Right now, I better get back into the kitchen. I'm putting together a couple of lasagnas. Embry, you staying for dinner?"

"Yea, sure. Thanks, Sue."

"No problem. I made plenty," she said as she turned and walked to the kitchen.

Embry smiled at me. "Are you sure you like it? I mean, we could sell it and look for something different, maybe an automatic . . ."

"No way! You are not selling my Jeep. I love it!" He grinned and took me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. And kissed him, and kissed him.

He laughed and said, "OK, OK. I'm glad you like it. I'll let you keep it."

We ate dinner and Embry and Seth both commented that they were glad it was Friday. It had been a tough week, and it would be good to get some rest.

"I asked Abby to go out tomorrow night. I told her we were going to double with you guys. She said that was cool. So, what are we going to do?" he asked as he shoved a bite of lasagna into his mouth.

"See a movie? I can find out what's playing," I suggested.

"Yea, OK."

"So you and Abby are dating now?" Mom asked. Embry and I looked at him and he smiled and said, "Yes, Mom. Leah yelled at me and told me since I kissed her the other night, I had to take her out."

Mom looked at me and laughed. "Well, I guess you owe her that at least. But do you really like her, or do you just like kissing her?" I looked at Seth and raised my eyebrows.

He rolled his eyes at me then said to Mom, "Yea, I really like her. She's cute and fun and smart and . . . yea, I like her."

"Good. Invite her over to dinner sometime," Mom suggested.

"OK. She would like that. She hates being at home. She doesn't like her mom's boyfriend. I guess he sleeps over a lot."

Mom just shook her head and picked up her plate and put it in the sink. I helped Mom clean up while the guys went out to check something on the Jeep. "So you were surprised?" Mom asked.

"Yes! I still can't believe it. Do I have the best boyfriend, or what?" I said with a grin. She laughed. "I'd say he's a keeper," she said.

I walked outside to see Seth in the driver's seat and Embry in the passenger seat. I walked up and put my head in the passenger window. "What 'cha doing?" I asked.

"Embry's showing me how to drive a stick. I'm almost 16, you know, then I can drive for real."

I looked at Embry and just shook my head. He shrugged. "Well, little brother, you're not 16 yet, and I'd like to take my new car for a drive, so move it!"

"Fine," he grumped. He got out and headed for the house. I jumped into the driver's seat and adjusted the seat and buckled my seat belt. I looked over at Embry and asked, "Are you ready?"

He smiled and said, "Let's go, baby!"

"I hope I remember everything you taught me!" I pushed in the clutch and the brake, put it into first and started the engine. It took me two tries, but I finally got it going. "You think Jake is home? I want to drive over and thank him."

"We can stop by," Embry said. I got it on the road, and actually made it to fourth gear! I was getting a little better by the time we pulled into Jake's. The light was on in the garage, so I pulled up there and stopped and honked. Jake came out of the garage and grinned. I turned off the Jeep and jumped out and launched myself at Jake.

"Hey, I take it you like it!" he said as he held me. I pulled back and said, "I love it! I wanted to come over and thank you. You are the best friend a girl could ever have! Thank you so much, Jake."

"You're welcome. So, you learned to drive already? That's great," Jake said.

"Well, I'm learning. Embry is VERY patient." Embry grinned and Jake rolled his eyes.

"Yea, I've always said that about him. He's so patient," Jake said sarcastically.

"Shut up, dude," Embry retorted.

"How come you're working in the garage on a Friday night? Where's Bella?" I asked him.

"Her mom is coming in tonight for a visit. She's flying into Seattle and renting a car. I wanted her to have some alone time with her mom. I'm going over later tomorrow to see her."

I nodded and said, "See? You're a great guy." He smiled and looked at Embry. "You better watch out, bro. Your girlfriend is all over me."

Embry stood in front of him and said, "Yea? You think so? Like she would prefer you over a hottie like me? Please."

"Have you checked out these abs, bro? Drives girls crazy!" Jake ran his hand over his abs.

"Maybe, but they LOVE the way I kiss them. Girls will take a great kiss over abs any day!" Embry bragged.

I just stood there and stared at them. "What the hell is with you two? Are you serious?"

They broke up laughing. "Come on, Leah. It's what we do. We've always tried to out-do each other," Embry told me.

"Well, as the only girl here, let me just say, Jake, your abs are really hot," I said as I ran my hand down his chest. He grinned at Embry and nodded. Embry rolled his eyes. "But," I said as I turned to Embry, "Embry is the HOTTEST kisser."

Embry grinned and pulled me to him and planted a hot, sexy kiss on me. "Oh yea, baby. That's what I'm talking about," he said. We all laughed.

"Come on, stud," I said to Embry, "let's go and let Jake get back to work." I turned and hugged Jake again. "Thanks, again."

"You're welcome, honey. I'm glad you like it," Jake said. "See ya later."

We climbed into the Jeep and I took off first time! I drove around a little then headed for Embry's. "You don't have to take me home, baby. I can run home from your house."

"Nope. I have a car now. I can drive you home," I told him with a smile.

"Are you OK driving it alone?" he asked.

"It's not that far. I think I can manage. That's the only way I'm going to learn, you know."

I jerked to a stop in front of his house and turned off the car. I looked at him and said, "Don't you dare laugh."

He smiled. "I wouldn't think of it." He leaned over and kissed me. "This is the part of the night I hate the most. Saying goodbye to you is the worst."

I smiled. "Someday, we won't have to do this. We will walk into our bedroom, get into bed, and say 'goodnight' instead of 'goodbye.' "

"Oh, baby. You don't know how badly I want that," he said as he leaned to kiss me again. We awkwardly tried to make out, but it wasn't easy in the Jeep. He pulled away and said, "I'm glad you like this car, but I really like my truck." We both smiled at that.

He climbed out and waved at me then walked up the steps to his house. I started the engine and actually took off without stalling it and honked and waved. Of course, I stalled it at the stop sign. I laughed at myself. This would take practice, but I was having a lot of fun learning.


	50. Chapter 50

CHAPTER 50

Leah POV:

I got out of the Jeep and walked into the grocery store. I asked the manager if they were hiring, and he handed me an application. I filled it out and handed it back to him and he told me they didn't have anything right now, but he would call me if something opened up. _Yea, great._ I thanked him and headed across the street to the little restaurant there.

I remembered Mom telling me how she used to work here when she was young. I walked in and asked one of the waitresses who I should talk to about a job. She pointed out the manager so I moved over to talk to him. He told me they were looking for a part-time waitress, so he sat down with me at a table and asked me some questions. We talked for about 10 minutes then he smiled and offered me a job! He brought me some papers to fill out then he told me he would get me put on the schedule and give me a call. I filled out the papers, handed them to him and thanked him. I had a job!

I walked out of the restaurant and headed for the Jeep. "Leah!" I heard someone call from behind me. I turned to see Josiah walking toward me. I stood and waited for him to reach me. He looked good! He had a healthy color back in his cheeks and he had gotten a haircut. He was wearing a nice pair of jeans and a white shirt with a leather jacket.

"Hey, Josiah," I said. "How are you? You look good!"

He gave me a big smile. "Thanks. I'm doing OK. Jason and I are meeting Josh here in town today. I spotted you coming out of the restaurant and I wanted to come and say hello."

"Good. I'm glad you did. I just got a job here at this restaurant! I'm going to work here part-time and go to school."

"That's great! What are you studying in school?" he asked.

"I'm studying to be a teacher. I hope I can teach here at the rez school someday," I told him.

He nodded. "That's cool. Good for you." He looked at me and smiled. "You look really pretty today, Leah."

The look in his eyes as he said that scared me a little. "Um, thanks. Uh, I better go."

"No, don't go yet," Josiah begged. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Can we talk for awhile? Please?" He pleaded with his eyes. I couldn't take it, and gave in.

_I was being silly. It couldn't hurt just to talk to him_. "OK. I have a little time. You want to walk?" I asked.

"Yea, that would be great," he said with a big smile. We headed down the little street and turned the corner and headed toward the park.

"Where's your brother?" I asked.

"He's at the hardware store. He wanted to pick up some things for the farm where we live."

"You live on a farm? Tell me about it," I asked. He smiled and told me all about the little farm they inherited from their father, who had died a year ago. They had a few pigs, some chickens, a couple of cows and two horses. They also planted corn and had just got done harvesting for the year.

I nodded and said, "I've never been on a farm."

His face lit up. "You should come and visit sometime. I'd love to show you around!"

I looked away from him and didn't answer. "I'm sorry," he said. "I did it again. Why do I make you so uncomfortable? I thought you said you wanted to be my friend?"

_He had a point. I did say that. _I looked over at him and smiled. "You're right, I did say that. I'm sorry. I guess I just don't want to, um, lead you on, you know? I want us to be JUST friends. I can't help how I feel about that. You understand that, right?"

He nodded then looked into my eyes. "Yes I do. But, I also can't help how I feel about you." I looked away and walked ahead to a little bench and sat down. It was breezy today which made it cold, so the park was empty. The cool temperature didn't bother either one of us.

Josiah sat down beside me and said, "I know you love Embry. You've made that clear. I'm not expecting you to leave him and run away with me or anything." I glanced over at him and he smiled at me. "But I can't help this connection I feel with you. I wish things could be different between us, but I know they can't. So, I'll behave myself, I promise, OK? I really need a friend right now."

I nodded and couldn't help but smile. He was so damn charming! It must run in the family genes or something. He really reminded me a lot of Embry. If things were different, and I wasn't in love with Embry, well, maybe things would be different. But I did love Embry, heart and soul. And that was never going to change.

We sat there quietly for a few minutes then Josiah said, "Leah, Josh is going to talk to us today about me going away to some reservation up north. I'm scared. I don't want to go." He looked so sad.

He had his hand resting on his leg, so I reached over and put my hand on top of his and said, "I'm sorry, Josiah. I wish you didn't have to go. I've heard Josh talk about it. But, he only wants what's best for you. He's not sending you there to punish you."

He nodded. "I know. He's worried about my safety, and . . . anyone else I might hurt. This is hell, Leah. I hate it." He looked off toward town. "I thought it was hard last year when Dad was sick. And then he died, and it was just me and Jason. I thought life couldn't get more tough. Guess I was wrong, huh?"

This guy was breaking my heart. I hated how he had no choice in this! I remembered how I felt that way when I phased, but at least I could live with it. I could stay with my family and not have to be sent off to some God-forsaken place up north with no other people around. "You know, my dad died, too. And then I phased for the first time." His head turned to me and he said, "Really?"

I nodded. "It was horrible. I had no idea what was happening to me and I was still grieving for my dad. I really understand a little what you're going through. Although, I'm really lucky to be able to control it. I wish you could find that, too."

He looked at our hands on his leg. He turned his hand over so he was holding mine. He squeezed my hand then looked up at me. "You don't know how badly I wish that, too. Were you close with your dad?"

"Yes, I was. He was a good dad." I felt myself tearing up and I tried hard to hold them in. "He was a tribal elder. I was really proud of him."

Josiah nodded. "I'm sorry, Leah."

I smiled at him. "Thanks. Things are better now."

"Leah, thanks for talking to me today. I feel better just knowing that there is someone out there who cares. Maybe while I'm gone, you could think about me once and awhile?" He was still holding my hand and he turned his gaze down to stare at them.

"Sure, I will. You're a good guy, Josiah. And, like I told you before, it will get better for you. Someday, you'll be able to live around people like Josh does. He'll help you." I squeezed his hand.

He nodded and looked back up at me. "I hope so." We sat there for a few more minutes then he said, "I guess I better get back. Jason will worry about me." We stood up and Josiah turned to me and asked shyly, "Would it be OK if I gave you a hug?"

I smiled. "Yes." He put his arms around me and pulled me close and held me.

"I will miss this, Leah. Human interaction. Feeling that someone cares about me. How will I live without it?"

_How do you answer that? What could I say? _I just stood there and let him hold me. He finally loosened his hold enough to look at me. He looked into my eyes and I could tell he wanted to kiss me. I couldn't let that happen again. I backed away and he let me go.

"I hope to see you again before I go, Leah. You make me feel . . . better about things. Thank you."

I nodded and he walked me back to my Jeep. "Josiah?" I wasn't sure why, but I couldn't just let him walk away.

"Yes?"

"Hang on. I want to give you my phone number." I reached into my purse and pulled out an old receipt. I wrote my phone number on it and gave it to him. "Call me before you leave, OK?"

He smiled. "I will. Thanks, Leah. This means a lot. See ya."

"Bye." He turned and jogged back up the street to the hardware store. I watched him until he disappeared inside. I opened the car door and got inside. I sat there for a few minutes thinking about Josiah. I really hoped that he could find a way to live through the next few years of his life. It wasn't going to be easy.

Embry POV:

I was standing in my room trying to decide what to wear. _What the hell is wrong with me? _I laughed and thought about when Seth was all upset about what to wear for the dance. _You're a guy! Just put some clothes on and get going! _I picked up a pair of black jeans and put them on and grabbed a t-shirt out of the drawer and slipped it over my head. I grabbed my Pumas and sat down on the bed to put them on.

I was taking Leah to the movie tonight with Seth and Abby. _This should be fun! Watching Seth make his move in the dark theater. Oh, those were the days. _I finished tying my shoes and headed for the bathroom. I shaved, brushed my teeth, brushed my hair and put on a little cologne. I checked myself in the mirror and gave myself a smile and a wink. _Oh yea. Looking good._

I jumped into the truck and headed over to Leah's. I couldn't get over how much I missed her when I was away from her. I had been thinking more and more about marrying her. But I was still in high school! I couldn't get married right now. But I knew I wanted to, more than anything. How weird is that? A year ago, I would never have thought about settling down with just one girl. There were too many others out there to have fun with! Now I didn't even LOOK at other girls. Man, what a turn around.

I pulled up to the house and parked. I ran up to the door and opened it and went inside. "Hey, Seth," I said as I walked into the living room. He jumped up and said, "I'm glad you're here. How do I look? Is this OK? Too dressy? Not dressy enough?"

I cracked up. "Dude, didn't we go over this before? They're just clothes!" _Yea, listen to you. You just went through this at home! _

"Come on, Embry, I need help! I'm freaking out here."

I smiled and said, "OK, let me take a look." He was wearing khaki cargo pants and a black t-shirt with black skate shoes. He had on the chain that his dad had given him with the little wolf charm on it. I liked that chain. It was cool. "You look good to me, dude."

"I have a jacket I was going to wear, too. I'll go get it." He took off upstairs. I heard him holler at Leah, "Hey, sis! Embry's here."

I sat down on the couch and picked up one of Seth's car magazines and started flipping through it. I heard footsteps on the stairs so I threw the magazine back on the table and stood up to go meet Leah. I looked over and smiled. She was wearing a pair of jeans that fit her just right, and a long sleeve, dark purple t-shirt that showed off her curves. _God, this girl is gorgeous! And she is all mine._

I walked over and took her in my arms and kissed her long and slow. She melted into my arms. I forced myself to pull away to look down at her. "You look hot, Leah. I like those jeans."

She grinned and said, "Oh yea?" She pulled back and turned slowly around to give me the whole look. I shook my head slowly and said, "Girl, do you know what you do to me?" She nodded and said, "Yes, I do." I pulled her to me again and really kissed her.

"Hello? Abby is waiting for us to pick her up. Get a room later, will ya?" Seth complained.

We broke apart and I gave him a look. "What? I can't get any of that action until we pick up my girl, so let's go!" he said as he ran out the door.

Leah looked at me and I laughed. "Don't you dare blame me for that!"

She just rolled her eyes and took my hand to drag me behind her out the door. We got to the Jeep and she handed me the keys. I smiled and opened the door for her. Seth was already in the back seat so she climbed in and I shut the door. I hurried around and jumped in and we took off for Abby's house.

Seth gave me directions and I found it easy enough. I felt bad for Abby as we pulled up. I remember being embarrassed about my house in front of Leah, but this was really something. She lived in a rundown trailer that sat on the edge of town. There was an older Pontiac Trans-Am sitting there beside a little rusted out Ford Escort. As soon as I pulled up, the door opened and Abby came running out to the Jeep. I got out and held the seat up for her to climb into the back with Seth. "Hi Embry," she said with a smile. "Hey Abby," I returned.

I climbed back in and we headed for the movie theater in Forks. She and Seth settled into their own conversation and I glanced over at Leah. She smiled at me and she put her hand on top of mine that was resting on the gear shift. Abby leaned forward and said, "Thanks a lot for taking us to the movie tonight you guys."

Leah turned and said, "You're welcome! I'm glad you could come with us."

I glanced in the rear view mirror to see Abby all smiles. I felt bad for the girl. I hoped Seth would treat her right. I would have to keep an eye on him tonight.

I parked the Jeep just down the street from the theater. They were playing some romantic comedy tonight. I never minded seeing these movies. Most guys complained when their girl wanted to see one, but I found they always seemed to put girls more in the mood to make out! We walked up to the box office and I bought two tickets and stepped aside for Seth to buy his tickets then we joined the girls and went inside. We bought some popcorn and pop and walked into the theater to find our seats. We sat down, boy, girl, boy, girl, with me on the outside.

"The last time we were here was your birthday," Leah said. She smiled at me and I had to lean over and kiss her.

"Hey," Seth said. "The movie hasn't even started yet. Can't you at least wait until it's dark?"

Leah laughed and told him, "Fine. We'll eat our popcorn, OK?"

Seth said to Abby, "Sorry. They make out a lot. You have to get used to it if you hang out with them."

Abby laughed and said, "I don't care. I think it's sweet how much they love each other."

I looked at Seth over the girls' heads and grinned at him. He smiled. "Yea, whatever," he replied.

The previews started and we all got quiet and ate our popcorn. Once the movie started I put my arm around Leah and she settled close to me. I glanced over at Seth and saw him watching. I nodded at him and he reached out his arm and put it around Abby. She smiled and settled into him. He looked over at me and beamed. I gave him a "thumbs up" then turned back to the movie.

I noticed Seth kept looking away from the screen and glancing at Abby. I knew he was thinking about how he was going to make a move to kiss her. I glanced over at him and caught his eye. I nodded at him to give him a sign to watch me. I leaned slowly toward Leah and smelled her hair then as she turned to look at me, I kissed her. I smiled at her then looked over at Seth.

He nodded but still looked a little hesitant. Finally he leaned toward Abby and as he went to smell her hair, she leaned in and kissed him! I laughed and Leah looked at me. I nodded toward Seth and Abby who were really kissing now. She looked back and me and raised her eyebrows. "What?" I whispered. "Isn't that what the movies are for?" She smacked me on the leg and turned back to the movie. _Great. He's getting action, and I get smacked! _They finally broke apart and turned back to the screen.

The movie ended and we walked out to the street. "So, did you two enjoy the movie?" I asked Seth and Abby.

Seth grinned and said, "I enjoyed it."

"Yea, I noticed," Leah said to him.

"So, how about stopping at the diner for some pie?" I asked them. They all thought that was a good idea so we walked over to the diner and walked inside to find an empty booth. We sat down and the waitress came over to take our order. Leah and I both order the cherry pie and a coke, and Seth ordered apple pie and milk. Abby looked over the menu and said, "Um, could I have some fries please? And a coke, thanks."

We all looked at her. "Um, I don't like pie, sorry."

"Seriously? You don't like pie?" She shook her head shyly. "Wow. I've never met anyone who doesn't like pie. Abby, you're the first!"

"Sorry," she said.

"It's OK, kid. You're pretty cute, so I can look past it," I teased.

She smiled prettily at me.

"Quit messing with her, Embry. Be nice," Leah scolded me.

"OK, OK."

"Hey! I forgot to tell you! I got a job today!" Leah announced.

I turned to look at her. "How could you forgot to tell me you got a job? Leah!"

"I know, right? I'm going to be a waitress at Shorty's in LaPush. Mom told me she used to work there when she was 18."

"She did?" Seth asked.

"Yea, she did. I went in and talked with the manager and he hired me. I'm going to work part-time so I can still go to school. He said he would put me on the schedule then give me a call."

"Awesome, baby! I'm proud of you," I told her. I put my arm around her and pulled her over for a kiss.

"So, do relatives eat free?" Seth asked.

She rolled her eyes and said, "You would ask that! No, I don't think so."

Just then the waitress brought our food. We all started eating then Leah said, "I ran into Josiah today while I was in town. He was with his brother and they were waiting to meet your dad."

_She saw Josiah. And she's just now telling me?_ "Yea? How is he?" I asked hesitantly.

"Um, he looked good. He looked healthier and he got his haircut," she said as she took a bite of pie.

I nodded and drank some of my Coke. Seth glanced up at me to see how I was taking the news that she had talked to Josiah. I needed to stay cool. "Yea, that's good."

Abby looked at me and asked, "Who is Josiah?" She dipped a fry in ketchup and popped it in her mouth.

I looked at Leah. I could see then she forgot that Abby didn't know about . . . us and Josiah. We had tried very hard to keep all that hidden. I couldn't very well say, "_You remember, the monster that kidnapped you? Yea, that's him in human form."_ So, I said, "Um, my cousin." She just nodded and ate another french fry.

Seth turned to her and asked her a question about someone I guessed they knew at school. I looked over at Leah. She put the last bite of her pie into her mouth and wiped her mouth with her napkin. _I suppose we could talk about this later._

We finished eating and I picked up the check and went and paid it while they all walked outside. "Ready to go home?" I asked.

Everyone nodded and we headed for the Jeep. We climbed inside and I drove toward home. Seth put his arm around Abby and they chatted. But Leah was quietly looking out the window. I wondered what was on her mind. Seth leaned up to me and said, "Hey, Embry. Can we go somewhere else for a little bit? Abby really isn't in a hurry to go home."

I smiled. _Yea, and you want to make out a little, I get it. _I nodded and said, "Yea, sure. My mom went out with my dad tonight. We can go to my house for a little bit, OK?" He smiled and nodded.

I glanced over to Leah and asked, "That OK with you?" She smiled and said, "Of course."

I pulled up to my house and we all got out and made our way inside. I flipped on the lights and said, "It's not big, but it's home."

"This is the first time I've ever been here, bro," Seth said.

"Really? Hmmm, I guess it is," I replied.

Abby smiled and said, "I like it. It's cute."

"It's just my mom and me, so it's all we need I guess."

Seth took Abby's hand and led her to the couch. He sat down and she sat down beside him. "Um, Leah? Can I talk to you in the other room?"

She was standing behind the couch and she gave me a look and pointed at Seth and Abby. I looked down at them and said, "We'll be back in a little bit." Seth grinned and I laughed as I walked toward Leah. I took her arm and dragged her down the hall to my bedroom. I closed the door and said, "Give the kid a break, Leah. He just wants to kiss a little, OK?"

"Embry, they are only 15! You need to quit encouraging him. I see the little wink, wink, nod, nod stuff between you. I want my sweet little brother back!"

I laughed at her. "I'm sorry, baby. That ship has sailed. He's growing up and there is nothing you can do about that." She plopped down on my bed and I sat down beside her. I started nuzzling her neck and planting kisses on her. "Come on, baby. Don't be mad at me. We have a little time here alone. Let's make the best of it."

She turned toward me and I put my lips on hers. She finally gave in and kissed me back. I laid her back on my bed and she wrapped her arms around my neck and let me run my hands down her body. "Mmmm, baby, the way you look in these jeans has been driving me crazy all night," I whispered to her.

She smiled as I ran my hand over her ass. "I have to say you look pretty hot in your jeans, too, you know. And your t-shirt really shows off your muscles."

"Yea? You think?" I flexed my arm and she ran her hand over my muscle then she laughed. "What about these?" I pulled my shirt off and showed her my abs. "I know, not as hot as Jake, huh?" She sat up and put a kiss on my chest.

"Jake, who?" she asked. I grinned and she kissed me. I laid her back down and was reaching for the zipper on her jeans. She stopped me and pushed me back.

"What?" I asked. "You have no idea how many times I have laid here in this bed and fantasized about having you here with me."

She smiled and said, "I just can't do that with my brother out there in the next room. It just doesn't seem right. Kissing, OK, but that . . . I can't. I'm sorry."

I smiled and said, "OK. But promise me someday I can have you right here on my bed?"

"Mmmm, I promise," she said in her best sexy voice. Then she kissed me and ran her tongue along my bottom lip. We made out for awhile until I couldn't take it anymore. I moved off of the bed and said, "Um, I need to stop, OK?"

She smiled and said, "Yea, me, too." I paced around my room, which meant about 2 steps in one direction, then 2 in the other. She laughed at me as she lounged on my bed. That didn't help any. "I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be back." She nodded and I opened the door.

_It's pretty quiet out here,_ I thought as I took the few steps to the bathroom. I closed the door as quietly as I could and turned on the cold water. I splashed some onto my face and wiped it dry. I needed to calm down. I stood there for a few minutes trying to think of something else – anything else! I finally felt like I could face her again, so I opened the door quietly and walked back to my room. I closed the door and Leah said, "It's awful quiet out there. Maybe we should go check on them."

"Leah, it's only been like 15 minutes. Let's give them at least 10 more, OK?"

She nodded. She was sitting across my little bed, leaning up against the wall. I sat down next to her and said, "Why don't you tell me about your talk with Josiah today." I knew that would definitely get me away from wanting to have sex with her.

She glanced over at me and said, "Well, we walked over to the park and he told me that he lived on a little farm. Did you know that?"

I shook my head. "I don't anything about him, really."

"He lives there with his older brother, Jason. They got it from their dad who died about a year ago. They have a few animals and they grow corn," she told me. I noticed she was playing with the silver bracelet that she was wearing on her wrist and looking at it while she talked. _What was it she didn't want to tell me?_

"Is that all you talked about?"

She was quiet for a moment then she looked at me. "No. He was pretty scared about the talk he was going to have with your dad. He told me that your dad was going to send him up to that reservation up north for awhile. He doesn't want to go."

I nodded. "Yea, I get that. I wouldn't want to go either." I thought about how Dad told us he was there for nine years! How he spent most of that time in that wolf monster body with no human contact. I guess I had to feel a little sorry for Josiah, too.

"He's a good guy, Embry. I wish you would spend some time with him. He's lonely and he's having a hard time adjusting to his new life."

"Well, who wouldn't? At least he has Dad to help him."

"Yea, I told him that, too. I told him that it will get better someday. And, I hugged him and he held onto me and told me he was really going to miss human contact."

I shot her a look and she said quickly, "We just hugged, Embry. He didn't try to kiss me again."

"I'm sorry, baby. I know. I trust you. It's just him I don't trust. Did he talk again about this connection he feels with you?"

"Only to say that he knows that I love you and that is not going to change, so he promised to be good. He only wants to be friends," she answered.

_Yea, I bet. I wasn't stupid. He wanted more than that. _"Just be careful, OK? I know you've been honest with him, but I can't help it, Leah. There's something about him I just can't shake. Something that's just not right."

"Embry! He's your cousin. Just spend some time with him, get to know him. I told him I wanted to see him again before he goes away. You should, too."

I had enough of this conversation. "We better go check on Seth and Abby. They've had plenty of make out time." I stood up and Leah scooted off of the bed and took my arm.

"Embry? Hey! Don't be mad at me, OK?"

I looked down into her eyes. "I'm not mad at you. You have such a good heart. I know you feel sorry for him and you want to make him feel better. I can't help it if I'm a little jealous. And worried. It's just who I am, baby."

She wrapped her arms around my waist and laid her head on my shoulder. "But you are the man I love. The man I want to marry. Don't forget that."

I put my arms around her and held her close. "Never. I will never forget that."

She pulled away and said, "Good. Now kiss me again and we'll go piss my brother off by cutting off his kissy time."

I laughed and kissed her and opened the bedroom door as loud as I could. "Come on, Leah. Let's get something to drink," I said loudly.

"It's OK. You don't have to announce your arrival. We're just talking," Seth said as we walked back into the room.

I laughed and said, "Well, then what's wrong with you guys? I gave you over 20 minutes!" I walked to the fridge and took out a Mt. Dew. "Anyone else?" I asked as I held up the can.

"Sure, I'll take one," Seth said. I tossed him the can and he caught it perfectly.

"Abby? I also have Diet Pepsi and orange juice or apple juice?"

"Diet Pepsi is fine. But don't throw it at me! I can't catch like Seth," she said quickly.

I laughed and said, "Hey Seth!" I tossed it to him and he caught it and opened it for her which made her giggle.

I turned to Leah and handed her a Diet Pepsi. "Thanks, baby," she said.

Leah and I walked into the living room and I sat down in the chair and Leah sat on the arm. I put my arm around her and asked, "So, you guys OK?"

Abby looked at Seth and said, "Yea, really OK," which made him smile shyly. "I found out that Seth is a really good listener," she said to Seth. Then she looked at me and said, "And a good kisser."

I laughed and said, "Alright! I'm glad to know you used your minutes wisely." Leah rolled her eyes at me.

"I just really needed to talk and Seth was very kind to listen to me," she said as she looked at Seth. Then she turned to me and Leah and said, "I really hate where I live. And I hate that my mom has so many boyfriends and . . . well, it's just hard. The last boy I was with, um, the one I just broke up with, he never wanted to listen to me. He just wanted to make out and stuff and, well, I had a hard time holding him off, you know? In fact, I know this may sound weird, but, I'm really glad that thing took me the other day. Todd, that's the boy I was with, was really pushing me to . . . do something I wasn't willing to do, and then I woke up in a cave! Bizarre, huh?" She laughed, but it was a nervous sounding laugh.

Leah got up and went to sit beside her on the couch. "I hate that a boy made you feel that way. Listen to me, Abby. You ALWAYS have the right to say no, got it? And if they don't listen, I can show you how to kick them where they will get the message."

"Oh, baby, that's cold," I said moving my hand over my crotch. She laughed and said, "I don't care. For some guys, that's the only way to get your message across." She turned back to Abby and added, "But, I can also show you how to throw a mean right hook to the jaw. So can Seth," she looked at me and said, "can't he, baby?"

All three of us laughed at that and Seth told Abby how he hit me the first time he caught us kissing. She enjoyed that story! "Yea, I wish I had my big brother here. He doesn't live around here anymore. He joined the Navy just to get away from here." She hung her head and Seth put his arm around her shoulder.

"Really?" Leah asked. "Where is he now? Do you hear from him?" Abby's head popped up and she told Leah all about how she gets letters and post cards from him from all over the world. I smiled. Leave it to Leah to know how to make her feel better.

"He's in Japan right now. He sent me some candy from there a couple of weeks ago. I really miss him," Abby told us.

"It's getting kind of late. I hate to do this, but I better take you all home," I said. It was almost midnight, and I wasn't sure how late Seth was supposed to be out at 15. Seth and Abby nodded.

"Can I use your bathroom before we go?" Abby asked.

"Yea, sure," I answered. Leah got up and showed her where it was. Just then I heard car doors. Mom and Dad must be home.

The door opened and Mom and Dad came in. Mom was all dressed up in the dress she wore to Emily's wedding. Dad had told her he was taking her somewhere special tonight. She looked really pretty. "Hey guys!" I said as they walked in. I noticed Dad was even wearing a shirt and tie and a jacket. He looked good!

"Hi Embry," Mom said. Then she noticed Seth and Leah and greeted them, too. The bathroom door opened and Abby came out. She walked over and stood by Seth.

"Um, Mom, Dad, this is Abby. She is Seth's date. Abby, these are my parents."

"Hi! It's very nice to meet you," Abby said very politely.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Abby," Mom said. Dad kind of waved at her and said, "Hi." I looked at him and he winked at me. _What was that for?_

Mom came over to stand in front of me and smiled. "Embry? I have some good news." She held out her hand to show me this rock on her finger. "Your dad asked me to marry him, and I said yes!" I looked into her face and saw she was practically glowing. I put my arms around her and hugged her tight.

I let her go and she said, "You're OK with this, aren't you?"

"Are you fucking kidding me? Oh sorry," I added. "Of course I'm happy! My parents are finally getting around to marrying each other after 18 years? It's about time!"

Leah squealed and said to Mom, "Let me see the ring!" Mom held her hand out and gushed all about it.

I turned to Dad and hugged him. "You did good, old man," I told him. "Look at her going on and on about that ring."

He laughed. "I was worried, too. I kept thinking that maybe I should have let her pick it out. But the look on her face was worth it."

"Did you get down on one knee?"

"Yes, I did. Right there in the restaurant. Made her cry. I think I shed a few tears, though, too."

Abby had joined the little cluster around Mom and her ring so Seth walked over to us. "Congratulations," he said to Dad.

"Thanks, Seth."

"So, Dad, how soon is this wedding going to take place?" I asked.

"As soon as possible!" he said with a grin.

Mom heard me ask and she laughed and said, "Amen to that!" Dad put his arm around her and kissed her on the forehead. She looked at me and said, "We don't want any big fancy ceremony. Something small with just family and close friends."

"I would like to have time to take your mom on a honeymoon, so looking to my calendar, we hope to get married around the end of the month."

"I am so happy for you two!" Leah said.

Everyone offered good wishes then I told them, "I think I need to get these guys home. We were just getting ready to leave when you came in."

I ushered Seth, Abby and Leah out of the house and into the Jeep. We headed for Abby's house. "It's great about your parents, Embry. They really looked happy."

I smiled at Abby in the mirror and said, "Yea, thanks. I'm pretty happy. I just met my dad a couple months ago. He never knew I existed. It's a long story. But, anyway, I've gotten to know him, and . . . he's a pretty great guy."

Leah reached out and put her hand on my arm and smiled at me. I glanced at her and smiled back.

Seth asked, "Do you think Sam will be OK with it?" He turned to Abby and said quickly, "Sam is Embry's brother. They had different moms, same dads." She nodded.

"Yea. Dad actually told us the other night that he was going to ask Mom to marry him. He asked Sam what he thought, and Sam told him that they can't change the past and he should make an honest woman of her."

"Whoa. That's great," Seth said.

I pulled up to Abby's and Leah got out to let them both out of the back so Seth could walk her to the door. Abby walked very slowly toward the trailer. I felt so bad watching her walk up to the door. Seth pulled her into his arms and just held her for a minute. _Good man._ I saw him whisper something in her ear and she smiled. Then he kissed her. They talked a minute more then he kissed her on the forehead and she turned and walked up the steps and went inside. Seth just stood there for a minute looking at the door then he turned and came back and climbed inside the Jeep. Leah got in and closed the door.

She turned to the back and looked at Seth. "You OK?"

"Yea. I just feel bad leaving her here."

"You were really nice to her just now. I'm proud of you, little brother." Leah smiled at him.

"Me, too," I said as I pulled away from Abby's.

He looked at us and smiled. "Thanks. I just . . . really kind of . . . care about her."

I laughed at that. "Oh no, dude. That's a whole other talk we gotta have."

Seth shook his head and said, "I hope it's better than the sex talk! That wasn't awkward at all."

Even Leah laughed at that.


	51. Chapter 51

CHAPTER 51

Leah POV:

I got a call from the restaurant on Monday while I was eating a sandwich for lunch. They wanted me start work on Thursday at four. I was excited, but a little nervous. This was my first job! He had me on the schedule for just two days this coming week. He wanted to start me out slow until I got the hang of things. I was OK with that.

I was a little worried about getting behind in my classes, so I was sitting at the kitchen table with my laptop working on some homework for my math class when the phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, Leah. It's Josiah. I'm not bothering you, am I?"

"No, just doing some homework. I can take a break. You OK?" There was something in his voice . . . he sounded upset.

"Um, I really need someone to talk to. Can I see you today?"

"Yea, sure. Where?"

"I don't know. I would invite you here to the farm, but I know that would make you uncomfortable." He really sounded bad. "I can borrow my brother's truck and drive down there."

"OK. Let me give you directions to my house." I told him quickly how to get here and he would be here within the hour.

"Thank you, Leah. I'll see you soon." I hung up and looked at the phone. _What has him so upset? Is he leaving for the rez up north? _I felt so sorry for him. He didn't deserve any of this.

I tried hard to concentrate on my homework. I wanted to try to get a little ahead. It wasn't working. I kept thinking about whatever Josiah had to talk about. I finally closed the laptop and went to unloading the dishwasher instead. As I was putting the last glass into the cupboard, I heard a knock on the door.

I went to the front door and opened it to find a very distraught looking Josiah standing there. "Hi, Leah."

"Hey, Josiah. Come in," I said as I stepped back from the door. He walked in and I closed the door and turned to him. He immediately pulled me to him and held on. I put my arms around his waist and let him. We stood there for a minute or so then he finally let go. "Thanks for letting me come and see you today," he said softly.

"Sure. You sounded upset on the phone. It worried me. What's going on?" I asked him. He reached down and took my hand and said, "Let's sit and talk, OK?"

I nodded and led him over to sit on the couch. I looked over at him. He was staring at the floor. I put my hand on his arm and said, "Hey, talk to me."

He looked at me and I could see unshed tears in his eyes. "I have to leave, Leah. Josh and Jason are taking me tomorrow." He hung his head. "I can't go. I don't want to go." He put his head in his hands.

I put my arm around his shoulders and said, "I am so sorry, Josiah." He turned his face towards me. His eyes were red and there were tears running down his face. He reached out and pulled me close and held onto me. I held him and ran my hand through his hair while he cried. He finally calmed down and pulled back. He wiped his face and said softly, "God, I'm sorry. I . . . "

"Hey, it's OK. I totally understand." I pushed his bangs out of his eyes and said again, "It's OK. Josiah, I know you're scared. Who wouldn't be? I'm so sorry you have to leave. I'm glad you called me."

"Do you mean that?" He looked into my eyes and I wasn't sure what I saw there.

"Yes, I mean that. I told you I wanted to be your friend." He nodded and stared at the floor again.

Finally he turned to me and said, "Leah? I don't want this to make you uncomfortable, but . . . I really need some . . ." he stopped. He put his hand on my face. "I need to know that someone cares about me. I need to know that YOU care about me."

I must have shown a little of the panic I was starting to feel because he said quickly, "Leah, I know you are in love with someone else. I know you will never love me like that. But, before I go away, I just want to feel . . . if you could just, God, this is so hard." He hung his head then he pushed himself off of the couch and walked to the window.

I got up and walked up behind him. "Josiah? What are you asking me?"

He whipped around and I could see the frustration he was feeling written on his face. He spit out, "Just spend some time with me, OK? Show me that you care about me! Make me feel like I matter! I feel it, even if you don't. This connection between us. I just want to feel that before I leave and allow this . . . damn monster to take me over." He put his hands on my shoulders. "Please, just, be with me, and let me pretend for a little while, that you really care about me."

I turned away from him and tried to keep the panic from erupting. _He wants to feel loved! Is he asking me for sex? God, I'm so confused. I should tell him to go! He kidnapped you once, stupid. You should have known better. Embry will be furious with you for being alone with him._ I took a deep breath to calm myself then turned back to look at him.

He was so sad and lonely and he was going away for God knows how long. If all he wants is to feel like someone cares about him, I can hug him and make him feel that. _Can't I? Just for a little while? _

He placed his hand on my cheek. "Leah, please? I need you so much," he whispered.

"Josiah, I do care about you," I said softly. I stepped closer and put my arms around his waist. He held me for awhile then I felt him turn his face toward my neck and put a kiss there. I pulled back quickly and said, "Um, maybe we should sit and talk for a little bit."

He nodded and followed me back to the couch and sat down. He put his arm up along the back of the couch and moved close to me. I tried to relax, but I was struggling with how I felt about this. I loved Embry so much, and I didn't want to do anything that would hurt him. Josiah must have felt how tense I was. He said, "Just talk to me, Leah. Tell me something about you. Maybe a story about when you were little. Then I'll tell you something about me. Let's just spend some time together talking, OK?"

_Talking, OK. That's good. I can do that._ I told him some stories about me fishing with my dad, learning to cook with my grandma, and Christmas mornings with Seth and how he was such a spaz until he got a present. He laughed and commented on each story.

"So, what about you?" I asked. He smiled and told me some stories about him and his brother growing up on the farm. I laughed when he told me about the first time he learned how to milk a cow, and how he was afraid of the chickens when he was little. He talked about not remembering his mom very well because he was so young when she died.

I actually enjoyed talking to him, and getting to know him a little better. As we were talking, his arm had moved from the back of the couch to around my shoulders. I found myself relaxing against him and thinking more about this connection he was always talking about. I wanted to know more. I sat up and turned to look at him. "Josiah? Tell me about this connection you feel with me. When did it start? Try to describe it. Help me understand."

"Um, wow. OK. I'll try." He sat up and turned to face me. "Well, I don't remember anything about my time . . . you know, as a . . . werewolf, so I don't remember taking you or anything about our time together. But, it was your eyes." He closed his eyes for a moment then opened them to look into mine. "The first time I saw you at the house, I knew those eyes. And inside I felt this . . . moment of joy. Like when you see someone you care for that you haven't seen in a very long time. I instantly knew you. And . . . cared about you. I felt that somehow you were important to me, or at least, could be. That I could . . . love you."

He gently touched my face. "You are so beautiful. You make me feel so much better about myself. " He dropped his hand and looked down and was quiet for a moment then he reached over and took my hand. "And even now, for some reason, you make me feel like everything will be alright. That somehow, I will get through this." He leaned toward me, his gaze on my lips.

I moved quickly off the couch and said, "My brother will be home from school soon."

He smiled and stood up. "I guess I should go." I nodded and walked with him toward the door. Before we got there, he stopped and turned toward me. "Just once, before I go. Please, Leah? Will you . . . kiss me?" Before I could answer, he took me in his arms, bent forward and put his lips on mine. I didn't fight it at first. I thought it would be just a nice, token kiss. But Josiah definitely had something else in mind. His lips moved over mine and as I started to back away, he tightened his hold on me and used his tongue to try and force my lips apart. One of his hands left my back and traveled down to rest on my ass. I put my hands on his chest and was pushing at him to stop.

That's when the door opened and all hell broke loose.

Embry POV:

"Hey, bro. Give me a ride home today?" Seth had caught me at my locker after school.

"Yea, sure. I usually go to Jake's, but he called and told me not to bother today. Work has slowed down." I slung my book bag over my shoulder and slammed my locker shut and we turned to walk to the parking lot. "We need to find some more cars if we are going to save up for this shop."

Seth nodded and asked, "Do you guys ever advertise? You know, you could put up flyers around town or something."

_Wow. I never thought of that. _I smiled and looked over at him. "Great idea, bro! I never thought of that. Yea, maybe we should do that."

"I could design something on the computer for you . . . if you want me to."

"Yea, sure! Go ahead and then we'll run it by Jake, OK?"

He grinned. "OK! I'll work on it tonight." I put my arm around his neck and pulled him to me and messed up his hair. He usually hated that, but he was still grinning when I let him go.

"You're pretty smart, little brother," I said. We busted through the door and walked out to the parking lot. We got to the truck when we heard someone calling after us.

"Seth! Wait!" Seth turned to see Abby running toward him. She ran up and launched herself at him. He caught her in his arms.

"What? Are you OK?" he asked quickly.

She was a little out of breath from running after him, but she got out, "Yes. I just wanted . . . to say . . . goodbye!"

He smiled and said, "We said goodbye when I walked you to cheerleading practice."

She smiled shyly. "I know, but, I guess I just wanted another kiss."

"Well, I can do that," he said as he drew her closer and put his lips on hers.

I smiled and shook my head and watched in awe. In a few short weeks, he had turned into quite a ladies' man. I know Leah hated it, but I was pretty proud of the kid. I gave them a minute or so then I cleared my throat loudly and said, "Dude, she's going to be late for practice."

Seth pulled himself away and said, "You better go."

She beamed at him and said, "OK. I'll call you when I get home, OK?"

"You better," he said smoothly. "See ya, baby." _See ya baby? _I rolled my eyes.

"Bye," she said as she forced herself to turn and run back to the school.

I noticed Seth watching her run, and I said, "Hey, Romeo! Let's go!" He tore his gaze away from her ass and said, "Huh? Oh,yea. OK."

I laughed and climbed into the truck. He got in and I started the engine. He looked over at me and said, "Man, she's so cool."

"Yea, she is. Make sure you treat her right. She's got it bad for you."

"You think so? Cause, I really like her a lot, too."

"Just take it slow, Seth. Don't rush into anything, OK?"

"Yea, I know. Please don't give me another sex talk. I can't take that."

I laughed and said, "Me either!"

I drove us to his house and as I pulled up, I asked him, "Hey, whose blue truck is that?" There was an old blue Ford truck parked behind Leah's Jeep.

He shrugged his shoulders and answered, "I don't know. I've never seen it before." Who would be here during the day with Leah?

He opened the door to get out and I shut off the engine. Something didn't feel right about this. I opened the door and got out. Seth gave me a strange look as I walked by him, then he turned and followed me to the door.

I opened the front door to find Leah and . . . Josiah? Kissing? I exploded. "GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF OF HER!" I ripped Josiah off of Leah and threw him toward the stairway. He slammed into the railing and it shattered into pieces. As he struggled up, I ran at him and put my fist in his pretty face and knocked him down again. "Come on you son of a bitch. Fight back!"

"EMBRY! Stop it!" Leah screamed as she grabbed at my arm. "What is wrong with you?" She turned to help Josiah up. ""Are you OK? Are you hurt?" He just shook his head.

"I'm fine, Leah," he got out as he stood up.

I just stared. I couldn't believe what I was seeing! She was worried about HIM. What about ME? The man she supposedly loved?

"Leah? What the hell is happening here? I come in here to find his hands and lips all over you. I thought he was . . ."

"What, Embry?" she asked angrily. "You thought what? I needed protected? You thought he was going to rape me or something? I can take care of myself!"

"Yea! I guess I should know better by now, shouldn't I?" I said nastily. I was really pissed and wanted to hurt her like she just hurt me. "You fucked my brother, and you've fucked me, and now you're all over my cousin. What? Are you working your way through the family? Should I warn my dad that you're coming for him next?"

That's when she slapped me, hard, right across the face. I didn't realize how strong she was! It knocked me back a few steps. I looked back to see her face so twisted with fear and anger. And tears. "I can't believe you just said that to me," she said softly. Maybe I did go a little too far.

I stood up and said, "Yea, well, I have nothing more to say." I turned and ripped open the door and walked out.

I stalked toward the truck, but with all of the rage running through me right now, I knew I couldn't hold off phasing for much longer. I quickly pulled off my Pumas and threw them into the truck. I knew Mom would appreciate that.

"Embry! Wait!" Seth came running after me.

"Go away, Seth! I gotta go!" I turned for the woods and let go. I phased on the fly and saw pieces of my shorts fly out behind me.

Leah POV:

_Oh my God. What just happened? _I looked over at Seth who was standing there just glaring at me. "Seth?"

I saw the anger and confusion on his face. "I can't be here right now," he got out and he ripped open the door and slammed it behind him. I just stood there in shock. _What the hell just happened?_

"I'm sorry, Leah. I shouldn't have come here today. I think I better go," Josiah suggested. I nodded as he walked to the door. He turned to look at me.

"Leah, I'm sorry. I hope you can make Embry understand that you were just being a good friend. I shouldn't have kissed you, but, I . . . just needed to. I have no idea when or if I will see you again." He gazed into my eyes, put his hand on my cheek said softly, "Goodbye, Leah."

Be careful, OK?" I said.

He smiled. "I'll try."

We just stood there. There was nothing else to say. I stepped back and he opened the door and walked out to his truck. He started his truck and gave me a smile and waved. I smiled and gave him one back. He put his truck in reverse and backed up and pulled away. He turned out onto the road and honked as he drove away.

I wiped the tears away and noticed Embry's truck still parked in front of the house. I walked down the walk and looked inside. I smiled when I saw his Pumas lying on the truck floor. At least he thought to take those off before he phased. His mom would be glad of that. I walked toward the woods and found pieces of his shorts scattered all over the ground. That meant he was in a hurry. He was hurt and angry and in a hurry to run away from me.

I hung my head and thought, _I have to find him. I have to make this right._ I walked into the woods and slipped off my shorts and t-shirt and rolled them up as best I could and tied them to my ankle. Then I stood and took a deep breath. _I will make this right with you, Embry. You will listen to me. _Then I ran and phased into my wolf body, determined to find the man I loved.

A/N: _Here is where I was split on which direction the story should go. I originally developed the character of Josiah to cause a little trouble for Embry and Leah, and as you can see, he has. But, this is the watered down version. My original story went kind of dark, with Josiah actually raping Leah. I had a really hard time writing the chapter, and as I was writing the aftermath, I just felt I couldn't do that to Embry and Leah. They deserve to be happy. But, I do have the alternate Chapter 51, and I am going to put it up to see what everyone's take on it is. Let me know what you think . . . _


	52. Chapter 51 Darker version

CHAPTER 51 (Darker Version)

A/N: _Here is the chapter with the darker story line. It was hard to write, and I'm still not real satisfied with it. I felt like Leah has been through so much, and maybe this was too much. That's why I went with the other chapter. Let me know what you think!_

Leah POV:

I got a call from the restaurant on Monday morning while I was drinking my coffee. They wanted me to start work on Thursday at four. I was excited, but a little nervous. This was my first job! He had me on the schedule for just two days this coming week. He wanted to start me out slow until I got the hang of things. I was OK with that.

Mom went in to work on an early shift today and Seth was off to school, so I showered and dressed and decided maybe I should do some homework. I was a little worried about getting behind in my classes, so I was sitting at the kitchen table with my laptop working on some homework for my math class when the phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, Leah. It's Josiah. I'm not bothering you, am I?"

"No, just doing some homework. I can take a break. You OK?" There was something in his voice . . . he sounded upset.

"Um, I really need someone to talk to. Can I see you today?"

"Yea, sure. Where?"

"I don't know. I would invite you here to the farm, but I know that would make you uncomfortable." He really sounded bad. "I can borrow my brother's truck and drive down there."

I didn't think it was smart to have him come here. "Um, I think there is a scenic view about half way between us, just off the highway. I can be there in about 30 minutes or so."

"Yea, I think I know where you mean. Thank you, Leah. I'll see you soon." I hung up and looked at the phone. _What has him so upset? Is he leaving for the rez up north? _I felt so sorry for him. He didn't deserve any of this.

I put on my shoes and grabbed my purse and keys. I walked out to the Jeep and got inside. I wasn't sure I was ready for a road trip yet, but I figured I wasn't going to learn any other way. I put it in gear and took off. The clouds were rolling in and it looked like it would be another rainy day. I made it to the highway alright, and started to enjoy the drive. I even turned on the radio and enjoyed some music.

I found the turn for the scenic view and pulled into the lot. There was one other car there that belonged to an older couple who had their camera out and was snapping pictures. I stayed in the car and waited for Josiah.

About five minutes later, an old blue Ford truck turned into the lot and pulled up beside me. Josiah looked over and waved. I smiled and waved back and got out of the Jeep. Josiah walked around the truck and immediately pulled me into his arms. "Thank you so much for meeting me today," he said softly. He let me go and I stepped back.

"Sure. You sounded upset on the phone. It worried me. What's going on?" I asked him. He reached over and opened his truck door and said, "Let's sit and talk, OK?"

I nodded and climbed into the truck and closed the door. He walked around and got into the driver's side. I looked over at him. He was staring at the floor. I put my hand on his arm and said, "Hey, talk to me."

He looked at me and I could see unshed tears in his eyes. "I have to leave, Leah. Josh and Jason are taking me tomorrow." He hung his head. "I can't go. I don't want to go." He leaned forward and rested his head on the steering wheel.

I scooted closer and put my arm around his shoulders and said, "I am so sorry, Josiah." He turned his face towards me. His eyes were red and there were tears running down his face. He reached out and pulled me close and held onto me. I held him and ran my hand through his hair while he cried. He finally calmed down and pulled back. He wiped his face and said softly, "God, I'm sorry. I . . . "

"Hey, it's OK. I totally understand." I pushed his bangs out of his eyes and said again, "It's OK. Josiah, I know you're scared. Who wouldn't be? I'm so sorry you have to leave. I'm glad you called me."

"Do you mean that?" He looked into my eyes and I wasn't sure what I saw there.

"Yes, I mean that. I told you I wanted to be your friend." He nodded and stared straight ahead. Finally he looked over at me and said, "I have somewhere I want to show you. It's . . . a special place my mom used to take me. I was little, but I remember this place. It's not very far."

I sat there for a moment and thought about it. I knew I shouldn't go with him. But I had some time, and I wouldn't see him for a really long time, so I found myself saying, "Well, if it isn't very far, OK."

He gave me a big smile and started the truck and took off. He headed north and I looked out the window at the scenery. It was really beautiful up this way. Josiah said, "I grabbed a couple bottles of water before I left." He picked one up and opened it and took a drink. "Help yourself."

"Thanks," I said. I picked up the other bottle and opened it and took a drink.

"I've been thinking of all of the things I'm going to miss when I leave. Stupid things like, driving this truck, eating pizza, watching TV, stuff like that. Although, I guess they will have somewhere for me to stay when I'm in my human body, I don't know, maybe they have a TV." He looked at me and tried to smile.

I smiled back and reminded him, "Just remember, it won't be forever."

"What I will really miss human contact. Someone to talk to, someone to touch . . . " he said as he glanced at me.

I didn't say anything to that. What could I say? He got quiet again. I drank some more of the water and watch more scenery. For some reason, I was feeling kind of sleepy. I took another drink of water and rolled down the window about half way.

"Leah? Are you OK?" Josiah asked.

"Yea, I just need a little air," I answered. I took another drink of water to try and help me wake up. For some reason, my eyelids were getting heavier and I was having a hard time keeping them open. I felt the bottle of water slip from my hand and hit the floor and I slumped over against the door and everything went black.

I opened my eyes and looked around. _Where the hell am I? I shook my head a little. Ow, what a headache. _I tried to figure out where I was. It was a small, barn type structure. There were holes in the roof that let enough light in to see. I sneezed and realized I was lying on a blanket on top of some hay. I sneezed again and I heard Josiah say, "Bless you." I looked over and saw he was lying beside me, on his side with his head propped on his hand. He had no shirt on! I realized that my clothes were gone! I was wearing his t-shirt and my underwear and nothing else, but was covered with a blanket.

I sat up and looked over at Josiah. "What the hell is going on here? Where are we and where are my clothes?" I asked angrily.

He sat up and smiled. "Hey, Leah, it's OK. You're here with me. I won't hurt you I promise. You're safe."

"You didn't answer my questions. Answer them NOW!" I yelled at him. His smile disappeared and he looked a little scared. "You drugged me, didn't you? You drugged me and brought me here to . . . to what Josiah?"

He looked guilty as he said softly, "Leah, I'm sorry I did that. I just didn't think you would agree to be alone with me. I just wanted to be with you, and love you, and . . ."

I threw the blanket off of me and stood up and looked around. "Where are my clothes, Josiah? I want them right now."

He stood up and came over to me. I saw he was at least wearing his boxers. I closed my eyes. _God, what happened while I was out? Did we . . . did he rape me? I was trying hard to remember, but I couldn't see anything._

"I want to go home. Right now," I said to him. I sneezed twice. The hay was really getting to me.

I could see the frustration he was feeling written on his face. He spit out, "Look, I'm sorry I drugged you to bring you here. I know I shouldn't have. Nothing happened while you were out. I just wanted to get you here. I did take your clothes off, and I'm sorry about that, too. But that's all I did, I swear. I just want . . . just spend some time with me, OK? Show me that you care about me! Make me feel like I matter! I feel it, even if you don't. This connection between us. I just want to feel that before I leave and allow this . . . damn monster to take me over." He put his hands on my shoulders. "Please, just, be with me, and let me pretend for a little while, that you . . . love me."

I turned away from him and tried to keep the panic from erupting. _He wants to feel loved! I should never have come agreed to meeting him. He kidnapped you once, stupid! You should have known better. Embry will be furious with you for being alone with him._ I took a deep breath to calm myself then turned back to look at him.

He was so sad and lonely and he was going away for God knows how long. I tried to reason with him. "Look, Josiah. I really feel bad about what you're going through, but you have to know that this is wrong." He closed his eyes. "I know you feel something for me, and I wish that I could return those feelings, but I can't. I belong to Embry. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is.

He opened his eyes and put his hands on my upper arms leaned forward to rest his forehead on mine. "Leah, please? I need you so much," he whispered. "Please, please help me to feel human just for a little while before I . . . can't be anymore. I won't hurt you, I promise." Then I felt him pull me closer and his lips touched my neck. Panic started to rise in me again. "Um, Josiah . . ." I put my hands on his chest and pushed at him. He tightened his hold and whispered, "Please, Leah, just relax and let me love you. Just this once. No one will know but us." Now the panic was full blown! I shoved him away and started for the door.

He caught my arm and I turned and said angrily, "Don't, Josiah. Unlike you, I can phase into my wolf body when I want to, and I don't want to hurt you, but I will."

He smiled a very strange smile and said, "I know. But you can't here. Don't you know that, Leah? You can't phase on the Makah reservation."

"But you phased . . ."

"Yes, I can phase there because I am mixed blood."

_What? How does he know that and I don't? He's just saying that to scare me._ I took a few steps back and willed my body to phase. Nothing happened. _Oh God, no. He can't be right_. I let my anger surge through me to help me phase. Nothing. I tried to keep the panic at bay, but it was bubbling to the surface. My heart was racing and I tried quickly to think of a way out of this.

He stepped toward me with the same pained expression I remembered when he was in his werewolf body. "Leah, you don't need to be afraid of me. I would never hurt you." He reached for me and I backed up.

"I've told you, Josiah. I don't feel like that for you. I can't . . . be with you like that." I kept backing up until my back was against the door. I was slowly reaching behind me for the handle when Josiah shot forward and grabbed me. He pulled me back to him and turned toward our little "bed" in the hay. As I brought my knee up toward his groin, his hand shot out and caught my leg. His reflexes were so fast! It's like he knew my every move before I made it. He pushed me down onto the blanket and hovered over me. "Leah, don't you understand? I want so badly to feel loved." He was tearing up and he came close to me and begged, "Please Leah, just let me hold you and kiss you. Stop fighting me and give in to your feelings for me. I know if you didn't have Embry, you would love me." His lips came crashing down on mine and I kept my lips tight and closed. I struggled to get away from him, but he tightened his hold on me and pushed his lips harder against mine.

I put my hands in his hair and pulled as hard as I could. His hands were running down my body and then he caught the bottom of the t-shirt and pulled it up. I started hitting at him and I finally pulled my mouth away. "Josiah, stop! I don't want this! Stop it!" I screamed at him.

He looked down at me and said, "I know you want this, Leah. Just stop fighting and give in to it." He reached down and in one quick movement he reached down and I heard my underwear rip and he tore them from me.

"No, no, no, please Josiah, don't," I was begging. Tears were running down my face as the panic had turned into fear. He put his lips on mine again and ran his hand up under the shirt to squeeze my breast. He was moving against me and I knew what was coming next. I broke away again and tried to beg him, "Please don't do this. If you really love me, don't make me do this."

He stopped and looked down at me. "I do love you, Leah. So much." He pulled his hand out from under the shirt and put it on my face. "You're all I think about. I can't get your beautiful face out of my head." He was caressing my cheek. "I have to leave tomorrow and I don't know when I will see you again. It's killing me, Leah. It's killing me to leave you."

As I looked into his eyes, I could see he truly believed that he loved me. _How? He didn't even know me._ He leaned down and put his lips on my throat and put very gentle kisses there. _I had to try and get away again while he was calmer. _I stayed still and tried to pretend I was starting to like what he was doing. I relaxed my body and put my hands around his neck and played with his hair. I could feel him relax his body a little and he brought his lips back to mine. I let him kiss me and tried hard to kiss him back. That wasn't easy. When I felt he was most relaxed I brought my knee up hard into his groin.

He convulsed and I threw him off of my and got up and ran for the door. "Leah!" I heard him shout. I had trouble unlatching the door, but I finally got it and threw the door open and ran out. I had no idea where I was. I looked for the truck. But he would have the keys. I decided to run for it and headed for the trees. I didn't get far. I was bowled over from behind as Josiah threw himself at me and we both hit the ground. He was on top of me before I knew it and he said angrily, "Why would you do that? God, Leah! I've only been nice to you. I told you I wouldn't hurt you and you . . . did that?"

"I told you no, Josiah! I can't have sex with you!"

He got up and took me with him. He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder and carried me back into the barn. He latched the door and threw me down onto the blanket. He was on top of me before I could move. "Leah, I will show you I love you. And you will love me." He crushed his lips against mine and I did nothing. I didn't fight him, and I didn't respond. I thought maybe that would stop him. But it didn't.

He had his boxers down and he was rubbing himself against my leg. I tried to keep my legs tight together, but he was so strong. Stronger than me. He forced my legs apart and he took his lips from mine to whisper in my ear, "I love you, Leah. I know you love me, too." Then he forced himself into me. I didn't move at all. I willed myself to be numb. Tears slid from my eyes as I lay there and let do what he was going to do.

He was panting and trying to catch his breath. He raised himself up to look down at me. He reached up and gently wiped the tears from my cheek then he rolled off of me and lay on his back beside me. I closed my eyes and willed myself to wake up from this nightmare. All of a sudden, my stomach lurched and I rolled to the side and threw up. I heaved twice and used the bottom of his t-shirt to wipe my mouth. I laid back down and asked quietly, "Can I please have my clothes back now?" I stared at the ceiling. I couldn't look at him. I started sneezing again. I had to get out of here.

He rolled off of the blanket and stood up. I heard him pull his pants on and zip them. Then I felt him put something down beside me and he walked off and turned his back to give me a little privacy, I guess. I pulled off his t-shirt and threw it toward him. I put on my bra and slipped my shirt over my head and pulled it down. Then I looked down and realized my underwear were gone. I pulled on my jeans and stood up to zip them. I slipped my shoes on and gathered my hair and slid the elastic band off of my wrist and would my hair into a messy bun. "I want to go home now," I said.

He turned and I could see sadness in his eyes. He walked toward me and stopped in front of me. I stared at the ground. He put his hand under my chin and forced my head up so he could look into my eyes. I showed him exactly how I felt. Angry. Violated. Hurt. He shook his head as he said, "Oh my God, Leah. I am so sorry. I promised I wouldn't hurt you, and then I . . . I'm sorry." He tried to pull me to him and I shoved him away and said, "Don't."

He nodded and turned toward the door. He unlatched it and opened it and walked out and waited for me. I walked out and squinted at the brightness. The clouds had parted and the sun was peeking out. He began walking and I followed him. We got to the truck and he opened the passenger door for me and I got in. He shut it and walked around and got into the driver's side and started the engine.

I leaned my head against the glass and stared out the window as he drove. I felt more tears slide from my eyes down my cheeks. _How could I be so fucking stupid? How could I have walked into that so easily? I should have listened to Embry. He told me he felt like something was off with Josiah. He didn't trust him, and I should have trusted Embry. He was always telling me that. Trust him, trust him, trust him. Why couldn't I get that through my fucking head? How would I tell him about this? He would hate me. _The tears came faster now. I lost everything in just one afternoon.

He finally pulled up next to my Jeep. I reached for the door handle and Josiah grabbed my arm. I stopped, but wouldn't look at him. "Leah? I am so sorry. I never meant for it to get . . . like that. I don't know what happened to me. I didn't mean to hurt you. I love you. Are you OK?"

_Am I OK? Is he serious?_ That's when I turned on him. "Are you fucking kidding me? Am I OK? You raped me, Josiah. Don't you get that?" I screamed at him. "I'll never be OK again." I ripped open the door and slammed it. I pulled my keys from my jeans pocket and unlocked the Jeep door and got in and locked it. Josiah just sat there, so I turned the key and started the engine, threw it into gear and backed out. I shoved the Jeep into first and took off. I made it to the highway and somehow got it into fifth gear and was cruising along before I lost it. I had to keep wiping my eyes to see where I was going, but I wasn't stopping for anything. All I wanted to do was get home.

I finally pulled up in front of the house. I had no idea what time it was. I didn't know if Seth was home from school or not. I opened the front door and went straight for the stairs. I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. I stripped off my clothes and got in and ran the water as hot as I could stand it. I took a wash cloth and soap and scrubbed every inch of my body over and over and over trying to get every bit of his scent off of me. I sobbed as I washed and wished for the hundredth time that I would wake up from this nightmare. I slid down until I was sitting on the floor, letting the water run over me and felt the sobs wrack my body.

The water finally ran cold, and I reached up and turned it off. I pulled myself out of the tub and grabbed a towel and started scrubbing myself dry. I wrapped it around me and reached into the cupboard under the sink and took out a garbage bag. I threw my clothes into the bag and tied it shut. I walked into my room and threw the bag down, knowing I would take it down later and put it into the garbage can. I never wanted to see them again.

I pulled out a clean pair of underwear, some sweatpants and a t-shirt and got dressed then laid down on my bed and curled myself into a ball. I was physically and emotionally spent. I couldn't do anything else. I just laid there and wanted to die.

Embry POV:

"Hey, bro. Give me a ride home today?" Seth had caught me at my locker after school.

"Yea, sure. I usually go to Jake's, but he called and told me not to bother today. Work has slowed down." I slung my book bag over my shoulder and slammed my locker shut and we turned to walk to the parking lot. "We need to find some more cars if we are going to save up for this shop."

Seth nodded and asked, "Do you guys ever advertise? You know, you could put up flyers around town or something."

_Wow. I never thought of that. _I smiled and looked over at him. "Great idea, bro! I never thought of that. Yea, maybe we should do that."

"I could design something on the computer for you . . . if you want me to."

"Yea, sure! Go ahead and then we'll run it by Jake, OK?"

He grinned. "OK! I'll work on it tonight." I put my arm around his neck and pulled him to me and messed up his hair. He usually hated that, but he was still grinning when I let him go.

"You're pretty smart, little brother," I said. We busted through the door and walked out to the parking lot. We got to the truck when we heard someone calling after us.

"Seth! Wait!" Seth turned to see Abby running toward him. She ran up and launched herself at him. He caught her in his arms.

"What? Are you OK?" he asked quickly.

She was a little out of breath from running after him, but she got out, "Yes. I just wanted . . . to say . . . goodbye!"

He smiled and said, "We said goodbye when I walked you to cheerleading practice."

She smiled shyly. "I know, but, I guess I just wanted another kiss."

"Well, I can do that," he said as he drew her closer and put his lips on hers.

I smiled and shook my head and watched in awe. In a few short weeks, he had turned into quite a ladies' man. I know Leah hated it, but I was pretty proud of the kid. I gave them a minute or so then I cleared my throat loudly and said, "Dude, she's going to be late for practice."

Seth pulled himself away and said, "You better go."

She beamed at him and said, "OK. I'll call you when I get home, OK?"

"You better," he said smoothly. "See ya, baby." _See ya baby? _I rolled my eyes.

"Bye," she said as she forced herself to turn and run back to the school.

I noticed Seth watching her run, and I said, "Hey, Romeo! Let's go!" He tore his gaze away from her ass and said, "Huh? Oh,yea. OK."

I laughed and climbed into the truck. He got in and I started the engine. He looked over at me and said, "Man, she's so cool."

"Yea, she is. Make sure you treat her right. She's got it bad for you."

"You think so? Cause, I really like her a lot, too."

"Just take it slow, Seth. Don't rush into anything, OK?"

"Yea, I know. Please don't give me another sex talk. I can't take that."

I laughed and said, "Me either!"

I drove us to his house and parked the truck. We got out and went inside. "Leah! We're home!" Seth called. We didn't hear her call back.

I looked at him and he shrugged and said, "Maybe she's taking a nap? Or on a walk. She does that sometimes."

"I'll check upstairs," I told him. He nodded and headed for the kitchen. He always headed to the kitchen first thing after school.

I walked to Leah's room and peeked inside. She was lying on her bed, curled into a ball sleeping. She looked so pretty when she was sleeping. I couldn't help it. I had to walk in and bend down and put a kiss on her forehead. She slowly opened her eyes and I could see that she had been crying. I sat down next to her and put my hand on her head. Her hair was wet, like she had just showered.

"Hey, baby, are you alright?" I asked softly.

New tears slid from her eyes. She slowly shook her head. "I just don't feel good. Um, my stomach is upset. I just need to rest," she said quietly.

I smiled and kissed her on the forehead again. "OK, I'll let you rest. Do you want me to bring you anything?"

She shook her head again.

"Um, do you want me to stay and hold you?" I asked.

She shook her head, faster this time. "No, it's OK. I just want to sleep and feel better."

I nodded. "OK. I'll be downstairs with Seth for awhile if you need anything. Feel better, OK? I love you."

A tear slid down her face and I reached out and wiped it away. She closed her eyes and I got up and left the room. I closed the door and stood in the hall. Something seemed so weird about that. It just felt . . . wrong. But, I wanted to respect her wishes, so I went downstairs to hang with Seth. I could check on her later, and maybe bring her some soup.

Leah POV:

I watched him walk out and close the door. _Oh Embry, how can I tell you what really happened? I need you so much, but . . . I can't tell you. I can't. _I closed my eyes and willed the memory of what happened to go away.

I opened my eyes and it was dark. I glanced at the clock at saw that it was 7:30. Just then the door opened, and Mom peeked in. "Leah? Honey, are you alright? Seth tells me you're sick." She walked over to the bed and sat down. She put her hand on my forehead then chuckled. "I forgot, you always have a fever, so I guess there's no need to feel your forehead."

There was enough light coming from the hall way that she could see tears roll from my eyes. "Leah? What's wrong? Talk to me, honey."

I looked at her and could see how much she loved me and how concerned she was. "Mom," I started shakily, "I, um, I want to tell you, but I'm afraid," I said quietly.

"You can tell me anything, you should know that. Talk to me." I pulled myself up to sit up against the headboard. "It's alright, Leah. Whatever it is, I'll help you."

That did it. The tears came faster now. "Oh Mom. I did something so stupid. I went to meet Josiah today. He called me and he was upset, and I thought it was probably because he was being sent north to that reservation and I told him I would be his friend so I told him I would meet him to talk. I met him at that scenic view north of LaPush, and then . . . I was stupid enough to get into his truck with him and he gave me a bottle of water and I drank it and . . . it was drugged, but I didn't know it and I passed out."

"Oh Leah, no," she said as she took my hand.

"Mom, I'm so sorry," I cried. I was shaking as I talked. "I can't believe I was so stupid and so trusting." I closed my eyes and went on, "I woke up in this barn . . . and he had . . . taken my clothes and left me in my underwear and his t-shirt." I had to stop and wipe my eyes. She squeezed my hand. "He told me he just wanted to be with me before he left. He kept telling me how much he . . . loves me, and how he thinks I really love him to. I tried to run away, but he caught me and he was so strong and he was on top of me and I couldn't move and . . . and I told him no, I begged him . . ." I was sobbing again.

"Leah, are you telling me that he . . . Baby, did he rape you?"

I just nodded and she pulled me into her arms and held me tight. I sobbed and let her hold me. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry this happened to you." She was crying now, too.

"And Embry was here and I couldn't tell him. How can I tell him, Mom? He told me not to trust Josiah. I should have listened to him. I should have listened!"

"Oh Leah. You are such a loving girl. You didn't know this would happen." Then she pulled away and looked into my eyes and said, "Leah, this is not your fault. I don't want you to blame yourself. HE did this to you. This is HIS fault, OK?"

I nodded. "But I shouldn't have gone . . ."

"That's right, honey, you shouldn't have. But you said no, and he didn't listen. Leah, I think we should report this. I need to take you to the hospital for an examination and we should call Charlie . . . "

"NO!" I yelled. "No, Mom. Please don't make me. He's leaving. He's going away tomorrow for a long time. He's going to be living in hell, so he'll get what he deserves. You can't put him in jail. You know what he is. Don't tell anyone, please!"

She hung her head for a minute then she looked back at me. "I guess you're right. I didn't think about that. OK, I won't call Charlie. But, Leah, are you, I mean, physically, are you hurt?"

I shook my head. "No, he wasn't rough with me or anything. I just gave up and laid still . . . until it was over."

She nodded and then pulled me close. "I'm glad you told me. You can't keep this bottled up inside. I know this won't go away overnight, and I know a lady at the hospital that councils girls that this happens to." She pulled away and said, "I want to call her and have you talk to her, OK? She can help you get through this." I nodded and she smiled. "OK. I'll call her tomorrow. Why don't you come downstairs and have something to eat? Embry went home. It's just Seth and me."

I nodded and let her lead me downstairs to the kitchen. I sat down and she asked, "Do you want some soup?" I nodded and she pulled a can of soup out of the cupboard and opened it and poured it into a pan. As I watched her fix my soup, I looked over and saw my laptop still sitting on the table where I left it. New tears fell from my eyes as I thought, _If only I would have ignored the phone and kept working on my homework._ If only, if only . . . I had a feeling I would be using those two words a lot from now on.

I ate some soup to please my mom. Seth drifted into the kitchen and asked, "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Better," I lied.

"Good. You might want to call Embry. He was pretty worried about you." He went to the fridge and took out a can of pop. He popped the top and took a drink. "You look like crap."

I actually felt myself smile a little and say, "Thanks."

He laughed and said, "Sorry. Feel better, OK?" He patted my shoulder and walked out. I looked over at Mom and she smiled.

"Do you want me to call Embry for you? I can tell him that you are feeling better, and you'll call him in the morning," she suggested.

"How am I ever going to face him?" I said as my lip quivered. _God, when would I ever stop crying?_ "How can I let him kiss me and hold me and . . . "

Mom reached out and took my hand. "Leah, you can't do this. You can't let him win. If you let him take this from you, then he wins and you lose. Kristy, the counselor, will help you to fight back. You have a life with Embry. He's your future. Don't give up on that."

I nodded and wiped the tears away. She was right. I would find a way to be with Embry again. I needed him so much. I loved him and he was my future. I would not give up on that.

Seth came into the kitchen and said, "Um, Mom? Embry's dad is here. He says he needs to talk to you." I looked over at Mom and wondered what that was about.

She nodded and got up and walked into the living room. I got up and followed her. Josh looked up at us and said, "Hello."

"Hi, Josh. What brings you by here at this time of night?" Mom asked.

"It's not Embry, is it? Is he OK?" I asked quickly.

He smiled and said, "No, Leah. It's not Embry. He's fine. Can we sit down?"

_Oh, this wasn't good, whatever it was. Was it Angie? No, or he wouldn't be here. He'd be with her. Josiah! Did he know what happened today? _Mom and I sat on the couch and Josh sat down in the chair. Seth leaned on the back of the couch behind me and Mom.

"I don't know how to say this, except to say it." He looked at me. "Leah, Josiah killed himself this afternoon. His brother found him out in the barn. He hung himself."

"Oh my God," Mom said quietly as she put her arm around me.

_What? Did he say . . . he killed . . . _I felt my heart race then everything went black as I hit the floor_._

"Leah! Leah, honey, wake up." I could hear Mom's voice calling me back. I opened my eyes and I was laying on the couch. Seth ran up and put a cold cloth on my forehead. "Hey, can you hear me?"

I nodded. I heard Josh say, "I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have . . . "

I looked over at him and said, "No. I'm sorry. Tell me, please."

Josh looked at Mom and she nodded. "Well, uh, Jason called me and told me to come up. He couldn't find Josiah and he was afraid he might have . . .phased, you know? So I drove up there, but by the time I got there from Port Angeles, he was gone. Jason told me that Josiah had driven in and gone right to the barn. He just figured he was doing chores before he came in. He waited for awhile and when he didn't come into the house, he went to the barn. That's when he found him."

I closed my eyes. _Oh my God. I can't believe I'm hearing this. _"Um, Leah, there was a note," Josh added quietly. I opened my eyes and looked at him. "That's why I came here." He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. "The first part was to Jason, so he tore it off, but the rest he wrote to you." He held it out to me. I pulled myself up to a sitting position and handed the cloth back to Seth. I took the note in my shaking hand.

I finally forced myself to look down at the paper in my hand and read:

_Dear Leah, _

_I am so sorry. I promised I wouldn't hurt you and I broke that promise. I can't stand this monster I've become. I can't go on knowing how much I hurt you. I love you so much, Leah. I only wanted to show you that. I hope that someday you can be OK again. _

_Love,_

_Josiah_

The paper fell from my hand and landed softly on the floor. Tears flowed from my eyes and I felt Mom put her arm around my shoulder. _He killed himself because of me. Because of what he did . . . to me. Oh God. I can't handle this._

Josh cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, but I saw the note. I don't know what happened, Leah, but I can guess. Please don't blame yourself for this. Josiah made this choice. He really didn't want to go north. I knew he didn't. I think he had been thinking about this since I talked to him about it."

I just nodded. "Um, does Embry know about this?" I asked softly.

He shook his head. "No. I came right here. I won't say anything to him, about the note."

I closed my eyes and put my head into my hands. Mom rubbed my back.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Leah?" Josh asked.

I shook my head_. What could anyone do for me now? _

"Alright, well, I guess I'd better go. I'm heading over to Angie's to tell her and Embry. I'm going to help Jason with the arrangements tomorrow." He got out of the chair and kneeled down in front of me. "Leah, honey, don't blame yourself. Whatever he did to you . . . that wasn't your fault either. Josiah wasn't dealing with this well, and everything he did was his choice. Do you understand that? It wasn't your fault." He reached up and wiped the tears from my face with his thumb. Then he pulled me to him for a hug. "Honey, if you need something you call me." He let me go and stood up. Mom walked him to the door.

"Thank you for coming over, Josh," Mom said.

He just nodded and left. Seth sat down beside me and asked softly, "What did he do to hurt you?"

I closed my eyes. How could I tell my little brother what he did? I just sat there and Seth said, "He made you . . . he raped you, didn't he?"

I just started sobbing. He wrapped his arms around me and held me. "I'm glad he's dead, Leah. I would have killed him, you know. He deserved to die for doing that to you." I couldn't believe the acid tone in Seth's voice. I had never heard that before.

I sat up and looked at him. He had tears on his face, too, and the anger I saw in his eyes, scared me. "Oh Seth. I wouldn't have wanted for you to do that."

"But I would have. You are my sister and I love you and I would kill anyone that hurts you."

I hugged him to me and said, "I love you, too. I didn't want you to know. I'm so . . . ashamed," I finally got out.

"Leah, don't be. Josh was right. This wasn't your fault. How can I make it better for you?"

"Just hold me," I asked softly. So he did.

Embry POV:

"What?" _I couldn't believe what Dad just told me. Josiah killed himself? Oh, God, Leah will be so upset when she hears this. _I hung my head and tried to think about how to tell her.

"Yea, I just left there. By the time I got there, the sheriff was there and they were taking care of removing the body. I told Jason I would go back tomorrow and help him make arrangements. He's not taking this well."

"How am I going to tell Leah? She'll really be upset," I said.

"Uh, she already knows. I stopped there and told them on the way here," Dad told me.

I gave him a curious look. "Why?"

"I knew she would want to know, so I stopped there. And, um, Josiah left a note and part of it was for Leah."

"Is the OK? I should get over there," I said as I stood up and started for the door. Dad caught my arm and said, "No, Embry, don't. It's late and her mom is with her. I think you should wait until tomorrow."

I looked at Dad and tried to figure out why he didn't want me to go over there. "Um, OK. I have to at least call her." I pulled my phone out of my pocket and went to my room and closed the door. I dialed the Clearwater's phone and Sue answered.

"Hey Sue, it's Embry. Dad just told us what happened to Josiah. I wanted to come over and be with Leah, but Dad told me it was late and I should wait until tomorrow. But, can I least talk to her?"

Sue was quiet for a moment. "Well, it is late, and she finally headed up to bed. I know you're worried, honey, but she needs some rest. She's doing alright. Why don't you come by tomorrow, OK?"

"Yea. Tell her I called though, OK? And that I love her."

"I will. Goodnight, Embry." She hung up. I closed my phone and thought about what happened. I know Leah thought I should feel bad for him, and now I felt a little guilty for being so suspicious of him. I didn't wish him dead. I just wanted him away from Leah. I laid back on my bed and wished so badly that I could hold her right now.


	53. Chapter 52

A/N: _Thank you to everyone for your reviews. I am going on with my original story, not the darker version. I will keep working on that version, and will maybe post it at a later time. For now, we will go with the milder version. Thanks!_

CHAPTER 52

Embry POV:

I had no idea where I was going. I just wanted to be as far away from Leah as I could. "_Embry, come on, bro. Talk to me."_

"_Seth, I told you. I can't talk right now. I gotta get away from here . . . from her. I can't fucking stand it." _I ran faster. _"I love you, bro, but I have to be alone right now. OK?"_

"_Yea, I get it. But come back, OK? Don't. . . leave me."_

"_I won't, dude. I promise." _I kept running and trying to push the image of her letting him put his hands on her, and kissing her, AHHHH! I wanted to rip the son-of-a –bitch apart! _How could she do this to me? I thought she loved me. She said she wanted to marry me. If she loved me, how could she kiss another guy? Not just another guy, a monster who kidnapped her._

"_I do love you and I do want to marry you, more than anything. Will you please, please let me talk to you? I need you to listen to me."_

"_I can't believe you came looking for me. Your fucking boy-toy leave you?"_

"_Shut the hell up, Embry. I know you're angry with me, and I get that. But I am not a whore and I don't appreciate you making me out to be one."_

"_Whatever. Leave me alone, Leah. I can't talk to you right now. I am trying to get away from you. Damn this stupid 'mind-reading' shit."_

"_Well, I'm not going to leave you alone. I will hunt you down and find you. You WILL listen to me. If you won't do it face-to-face, I will just stay right here, in your head, until you decide to grow-up and talk to me."_

"_You just don't get it, do you? I love you, damnit! I told you I wanted to marry you! Why would kiss him? Why would you hurt me like that?"_

"_Embry, please stop running and I will explain everything. I had no idea he was going to kiss me! I know you're hurt, and you have every right to be. Please stop and talk to me. I do love you. I love you so much."_

I stopped running and slowed to a trot. I looked around and tried to figure out where I was. I had no idea what direction I had been running in or how long or how far I had run. I stopped in a clearing that I kind of recognized. I guess I must have run south. We didn't run this way much because there weren't many people on the south end of the reservation. It was mostly wooded area.

"_I am so sorry that I hurt you." _

I couldn't take her being in my head any more so I phased back into my human form. _There! Finally, some peace and quiet! _I plopped down onto the ground and leaned back against a tree. I closed my eyes and there they were. He had his arms around her and his lips on hers, and she wasn't fighting it. She allowed it to happen. _What kind of good excuse could she have for that?_

I opened my eyes and stared out into the forest. I wish I could scrub that vision from my brain. I knew it would haunt me every fucking time I closed my eyes from now on. I pulled my knees up and rested my arms on them. She would find me and I knew I would have to talk to her. I just had no idea what I would say.

Leah POV:

I ran hard to catch up to him. He had shut me out the only way he could – he had phased back to his human body. I had seen where I thought he was, so I thought I could still find him. He was heading south so I stayed south. I slowed to a trot and picked up his human scent. I pulled up and phased back. I reached for my clothes and dressed quickly then walked into the small clearing to find him leaning against a tree.

I walked over and saw down beside him. He knew I was there but he never looked at me. He wouldn't acknowledge me at all. I reached out to touch him and he said angrily, "Don't." I pulled back.

"Embry, I am so sorry that you saw that. I would like to tell you about why Josiah came to see me today. Please just listen and then you can yell at me, OK?" Nothing. I took a deep breath and began. "Josiah called me and asked if he could see me today. He sounded really upset, so I told him yes. He said he knew I would be uncomfortable going to him at the farm, so he asked if he could come to me. I agreed and gave him directions on how to get to my house."

I stopped and looked at him. He had his head down so I couldn't see his expression. I went on, "When he got to the house, he told me that your dad and his brother are taking him to the reservation up north . . . tomorrow. He's so scared, Embry. He doesn't want to leave. Who would? I kept thinking about how your dad told us about him having to go there. I feel sorry for him. I can't help that. He didn't ask for this! This stupid genetic defect that makes him a monster. He broke down and cried. I tried to help him through it."

He still didn't move or say anything. "He asked me to just spend some time with him. To talk to him and help him to feel like someone cared about him. I can't help it, Embry. I do care about him. Like a friend! Nothing more! I sat there with him and we talked. He relaxed and I think he needed that."

Embry's head had come up slightly. At least I knew he was listening. "He knows that I love you, and that's not going to change. He said that he just needed to be with me today to know that he can survive this. That he will get through it. He said that I make him feel like everything will be alright. I gave him a hug goodbye and he . . . he kissed me. I am so sorry that you walked in and saw that. All I feel for Josiah is friendship, and pity and heartbreak . You have to know that I never wanted to hurt you. I love you, Embry. ONLY you. I can't imagine ever loving or being with anyone else." I sat there and felt a sense of déjà vu. I remembered chasing him down and talking to him like this when he found out that Sam and I had sex. I put my head in my hands. Why was I always having to explain myself to him? Well, with Sam, that was different. I didn't know Embry at the time it happened. But this time . . . well, I did this to myself.

But what else could I say? I had said everything I wanted him to know. I just sat there staring at him, willing him to look at me. I would sit there for as long as it took. It took a long time.

Finally, he raised his head and looked at me. I instantly had tears in my eyes when I saw his face. All of the pain in his eyes put a dagger in my heart. To know that I did that to him was more than I could take. I tried to hold back the tears, but they spilled down my face.

Embry POV:

I couldn't look at her. It hurt too much. I knew she wouldn't go away, so I put my head down and tried to get through this. She started talking. About how she felt sorry for him and she wanted to make him feel better. He was being sent north tomorrow. _Good riddance, I say. _

I knew I should feel bad for the guy. She was right. He didn't ask for any of this, and it wasn't fair. But I just couldn't. He had stolen the one thing that meant the most to me, and I could never forgive him for that, even if he didn't remember doing it. And he was still taking her away from me by making her feel sorry for him. How could she be so stupid to fall for it?

I listened to her whole story and felt like she was shoving a fucking knife in my heart. She kissed him! _God! How could she do that? I haven't even so much as LOOKED at another girl since I met Leah, let alone felt remotely like kissing one! _And he tells her she makes him feel like everything will be alright. _God, it makes me want to puke! _

I tried so hard to just listen and not spew out all of the anger that I was feeling. I just couldn't believe her when she said she loved only me. _How can you kiss someone else if you love me? __Maybe I should try that, huh? What would she think then?_

She was finally quiet. _Thank God!_ I didn't think I could take much more. I sat there and tried hard to contain myself. I finally lifted my head to look at her. I saw the tears come into her eyes when she looked at me. _Good. Take a good look. See what you've done to me._

I knew she was waiting for me to say something. But I also knew she really didn't want to hear what I wanted to say. So, instead I said, "OK. You talked. I listened. Now, please leave me alone." I went back to staring at the ground.

"That's it? That's all you have to say? Are you serious?" she asked. I could hear the frustration in her voice. "Come on, Embry! Yell at me! Call me a whore again! Something . . . anything. You can't just sit there and say nothing."

I closed my eyes and willed myself to say nothing. She was pushing me, and I couldn't take it much longer.

"Embry, damnit, look at me!" She grabbed my arm and shook me. "I love you! Do you hear me? I LOVE YOU!"

That did it. "You love me? Is that what you were thinking when you had your lips on another guy? Were you thinking about how much you LOVE ME? I seriously doubt that. And so you know, I spent a whole fucking day in a cave with Abby, holding her against my bare chest to keep her from freezing, and not ONCE did I think about kissing her! I felt sorry for her, but I didn't have to put my lips on her to show her that," I screamed at her.

"I think that's a little different . . ." she started.

"Is it? Really? Come on, Leah. You fell for this guy's sob story and you feel something for him. Just admit it! At least admit it to yourself." I stood up and walked a few steps away. I couldn't stand being that close to her.

She stood up and came up behind me. "Yes, I do feel something for him. Compassion. I can't figure out why you don't. He's YOUR family, for God's sake! You act like he's still that monster that we were all chasing."

I whipped around and yelled, "He is! That is exactly what he is! You just don't get that! What might have happened if I hadn't come exploding through your door? Huh? Have you thought about that? What if he would have phased? Could you have stopped him? What if would knocked you out and taken you away again?"

"Is that how you think about your father? Do you think of him as some monster? I know you don't. You love him, Embry. Why can't you see Josiah as a human being who is trapped inside this monster the same way your father is? You are allowing this jealousy to cloud your vision."

"Hell, no, I don't think about my dad that way. This isn't about how I see Josiah or my father, Leah. This is about what I saw today. Josiah is dangerous and he needs to go away. He killed three men and kidnapped three women, including the one I love most in the world. And today I walk in to see him all over you. I'm sorry if I can't get all 'touchy feely' over him leaving. You can think it's jealousy, whatever. I just want him gone."

She backed away from me shaking her head. "Oh Embry. How are we going to get past this?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"I don't know, Leah. I don't know if we can." I looked up to see tears falling down her face again. I felt them well up in my eyes, too. "Dealing with you and Sam, and now . . . him. I can't take any more, Leah. I can't do it. I can't keep coming in last with you." I turned away and took off running. I phased on the fly and kept running. I hoped this time, she wouldn't follow me.

I ran until I couldn't run anymore. I laid down and tried hard to push this pain away. Leah was everything to me. Everything. I couldn't imagine my life without her. Then the vision of her kissing Josiah would float back into my head and I would get angry all over again. I had no idea what to do, where to go. So, I just laid there. It started to rain, but I didn't care.

"_Hey, bro. Seth came to me and told me what happened. I don't get it. It's not like her at all." _Sam. Just what I needed.

"_I guess you would know. You had her first."_

"_Come on, Embry. Don't go there."_

I replayed the conversation with Leah in my mind. He was going to ask, and I knew I couldn't tell it, so I just let him see it.

"_Shit. I didn't really believe that she kissed him, but seeing that . . . God, that was brutal. I'm sorry, bro. It's still not like her. I know she has a soft heart. I think she's telling you the truth. I think she does feel sorry for him, for what he's going through . Maybe she's right and he surprised her with that kiss."_

"_Oh please, Sam. Don't defend her to me right now. I can't fucking take it."_

"_You gotta talk about his. It's going to eat you alive if you don't. Talk to me. Yell at me. Get it out!"_

"_Please just leave me the hell alone, will ya?" _What is with everyone wanting to be in my head? I knew the only way to get him out was to phase. So I did. I really wished I hadn't shredded my shorts. It wasn't too comfortable sitting on the ground bare-assed.

I sat down and leaned against a tree. I just wanted to be left alone. It was getting dark, and I knew Mom would worry about me when I didn't show up. Sam would call her if he hadn't already. I just couldn't go home just yet.

It wasn't long until I heard, "Hey." I opened my eyes to see my big brother standing there looking down at me. I closed my eyes and said, "I thought I asked you to leave me alone."

He plopped down beside me and said, "Yea, you did. But, I didn't listen."

"There's a shock," I muttered.

He snorted and said, "Come on, little brother. Talk to me."

I turned my head and opened one eye. "You're not going away, are you?"

He smiled and answered, "Nope."

I sighed and opened my eyes to see him holding out a pair of gym shorts. "Seth told me you might need these."

"Thanks," I mumbled as I took them from him and slipped them on. That did make my ass feel better. "So, what do you want me to say?"

"I don't care. Yell, cry, talk. Hell, I'll even let you take a swing at me. Just do something. Don't hold this all inside."

"Look, Sam, I know you're trying to help, but you're just pissing me off. I don't WANT to talk about it, OK? It hurts too much." God, I felt tears coming. I was NOT going to cry in front of Sam. I tried to hold it back. "It's killing me, Sam. It's fucking killing me."

He put his arm around my shoulder and said, "Yea, I know." That did it. I couldn't hold them back any longer. All of the pain and rage just came pouring out. I couldn't just sit here and cry on Sam's shoulder. I lifted my head and jumped up and started pacing. I wiped my face and said, "Damnit, Sam. She keeps saying she loves me, but if you love someone, how do you let yourself put your lips on someone else? I will never get that fucking image out of my head! I go running in there and shove him off of her because I stupidly think he's forcing himself on her. What a dumb-ass I am, huh? She goes running over asking him if he's hurt. If HE'S hurt? What about ME?"

I was really going now. Pacing back and forth and balling my hands into fists. "I just wanted to pound the shit out of that guy, and she gets mad at ME for pushing him away! She tells me I should be 'compassionate 'toward him and what he's going through. Are you fucking kidding me? He killed three guys! He kidnapped her and two other girls and I'm supposed to feel sorry for him? Do you get this at all? Is it just me?"

"No, bro, I get where you're coming from. I think he needs to go north, too. He is dangerous right now."

"THANK YOU! Why can't she see that? Why does she have to try and make him _feel better_? Why is it _her _job to do that? Why am I . . " I stopped and ran my hand through my hair. "Why am I never enough for her?" I looked at Sam and felt close to tears again.

He got up and faced me. "Why would you ask that?"

"Because, just the other night she was in your arms, and today . . . she's in his. Why can't my arms be enough for her? "

Sam hung his head. "Embry, I'm sorry, bro. I am so sorry. God, I'm such an ass," he said. Then he looked up at me. "Remember when we talked and I told you how I knew I cared too much for Leah?" I nodded. "I've been so damn selfish. I didn't stop to think what it was doing to you . . . or to Emily. She's noticed, too, bro." He stood up and walked a few steps away then stopped and put his hands on his hips.

"Embry, this whole fucking imprinting thing has been a mess for too long. And as of right now, I am putting an end to it." He turned and looked at me. "You love Leah with everything you have, I know you do. And you are a good guy. You're my brother, and I love you. You deserve to have a woman in your life that loves you, and only you. And you can have that. I will back off from now on. I will treat Leah like a sister and let you worry about her and take care of her. I promise. My time with Leah is in the past, and that is where it will stay." He put his hand on my shoulder and went on, "Leah does love you, bro. She is _the one_ for you. I know it. Whatever happened today with Josiah, is not going to break you two apart. She may have felt sorry for him and kissed him, but I know that she loves you. And ONLY you."

"Yea, right," I mumbled.

Sam grabbed my shoulders and forced me to look at him. "Cut the shit, Embry! You can lay out here and wallow in self-pity, or you can grow a pair and go get the woman you love. Lay down the law, dude. Tell her you love her and you want to marry her, and you want to be with ONLY her and you want her to be with ONLY you. It's time to grow-up. Don't just run and hide from this. Hit it head-on and then move on. Get it?"

I shrugged out of his hold and took a step back. _God I hate it when he's right. And he's ALWAYS right. _I smiled at him and said, "Yes, I get it. Quit being a whiny-ass baby and go get my woman."

"Damn straight." He smiled back.

"If I promise to talk to her, will you leave me alone?" I asked him.

"Hell, no. I'll always be a pain in your ass. Haven't you figured that out by now?" he said with a grin.

I had to laugh at that. "Yea, that's for sure, but, I guess I'm kind of glad you are. Thanks, Sam."

"No problem, bro. I know you got my back, and I got yours. That's what brothers are for, right?"

I nodded and we hugged. "If we hug anymore, I swear we'll grow breasts!" I said to him. That cracked him up. He reached out and tousled my hair then said, "Let's go home." I smiled and nodded then he added, "And take those shorts off and tie them to your ankle. Those are my best pair of gym shorts and I want them back!"

"Yes, sir," I said as I bent down to do just that.

Leah POV:

Embry ran off and I felt myself crumble to the ground. I wrapped my arms around myself and let the tears come. I felt great sobs wrack my chest as all of the grief came pouring out. _How had I allowed this to happen? We were so happy, and so in love. We were talking about marriage! And I made a stupid mistake of putting someone else before Embry, and now . . . it was all gone._ I cried until I couldn't breathe. I had nothing else left inside. I just laid there and curled myself into a ball. I wanted to feel numb. I wanted this to all be a nightmare that I could wake up from and never have to think about again.

The sky grew dark and still I lay there. I had no idea what time it was, nor did I care. I suddenly had a flashback to when Sam told me he couldn't be with me anymore because he was in love with Emily. I remember how hurt I was then, but it was nothing to what I felt right now. Nothing.

I felt drops of rain hit my forehead. I closed my eyes and let the rain pour over me. I was hoping it would wash away all of the pain . . . but it didn't. It couldn't. Nothing could take this away but Embry. And he was gone.

I had fallen asleep. I opened my eyes and looked up at the sky. It was dark and there were millions of stars out, and the moon was rising. I laid there and thought how beautiful the night sky was. I remember my dad telling us Old Indian legends about the moon and the wolves when we were little. I really missed him. I wondered what he would think about me being a werewolf. I know he would be proud of Seth, joining the pack. For him to be a part of the elite of the tribe, would have made him very proud. But me? I was a girl. Girls were supposed to be wives and mothers. He never said it, but I don't think he liked Mom working. She only worked as a nurse part-time while when he was alive. She went full-time after he died to keep herself busy, I guess. I was still amazed that she told me that she was married before Dad. I'm sure he knew all about it, and yet, neither of them ever said anything about it. He was a good man. Just like . . . Embry.

I thought I had found a good man to spend the rest of my life with. I had already thought about us getting married, and having children. I smiled and put my hands on my stomach and tried to imagine being pregnant with Embry's baby. I wanted that so much. I would always love Embry, no matter what. _Why did I have to ruin such a good thing?_

"Leah! Leah? Are you out here?" Someone was calling me. I sat up and looked around. I didn't see anyone. "Leah! Answer me!"

_Embry? It couldn't be. _"Embry?" I called out.

Just then Jake broke into the clearing. "Leah, thank God. Are you OK?"

Disappointment sunk in when I saw it wasn't Embry. I looked up at Jake and felt fresh tears falling. He sat down beside me and took me in his arms. "Oh honey, I'm sorry I'm not Embry. Sam called me to come and find you. Your mom and Seth were going nuts because you never came home."

_How selfish. I never thought about how worried they would be_. "Are you OK, Leah? Talk to me."

I looked at Jake and shook my head. "I fucked up Jake. I ruined the best thing that ever happened to me. I lost him." The tears just wouldn't stop.

He pulled me to him and said, "Why did you do it, Leah? Why would you kiss this guy?" _God, did everyone know what I did? You can't keep a secret in this pack._

I sighed and said, "I felt sorry for him, Jake. He's being shipped off to that reservation up north where Josh lived. He's scared and . . . we talked about this connection he feels with me and . . . I don't know, I let him kiss me. I don't feel anything for Josiah but pity. I just wish I could make Embry see that."

He smiled. "You will. I know Embry better than he knows himself. He's hurt right now, Leah. Really hurt. Give him a little time to lick his wounds then he'll come around."

I nodded. "I hope you're right." All of a sudden I was so tired. I could hardly move.

"Come on, Leah. Let me take you home, OK?" I just looked at him and nodded. He stood up and then helped me up. I fell against him. I had no strength left in me. He scooped me up and said quietly, "It's alright, Leah. Just rest." He carried me in his arms all the way home.


	54. Chapter 53

CHAPTER 53

Embry POV:

I crashed at Sam's that night. He called my mom and told her that he had asked me to help him with something and it got late, so he told me to stay. He told her he would make sure I got to school in the morning. And he did. He came in my room at 7:15 and put his foot on my ass and shoved me out of bed. "Hey! Emily woke you up 15 minutes ago, bro. Get your ass out of bed and go to school!" I rubbed my head and got up and made my way to the bathroom for a shower.

I let the water run over me and tried to wake up. I had just gotten to sleep. I could not get that image of Leah and . . . _him _out of my head. God, I missed her so much. As pissed as I was at her, as hurt as I was, I knew I needed her. I got out of the shower and pulled on some of Sam's clothes. I stumbled out to the kitchen and sat down at the table. Emily set a cup of coffee in front of me and said to Sam, "These clothes are huge on him! Don't you have anything smaller?"

"Look at me, Em? Does it look like I have anything smaller? I can't help it he's such a runt!"

I glared at him. It was a good thing the shorts had elastic in the waist or they would have fallen off. I drank some coffee and ate some of the muffin Emily put on the table for me. She smoothed down my hair and bent down and kissed me on the head. Then she walked back into the kitchen. I looked over at her and she smiled at me. I liked having a sister.

I got up and left the muffin. I just wasn't hungry. "How am I going to get to school?" I asked Sam.

"I'll drive you over to pick up your truck. That way you'll have your books and a way to get home." I nodded and said, "Let's go." I turned to Em and said, "Thanks, Em."

"You're welcome, honey. Anytime."

I walked outside with Sam and got into his car. He took off and headed toward Leah's house, where I left my truck. As soon as we pulled up next to the truck, all of it came flooding back into my head. I closed my eyes and felt my hands ball into fist.

I heard Sam ask, "Where are your keys?"

"Um, I don't know. I remember throwing my shoes into the truck . . . then I phased and my shorts ripped into shreds. So, either I was smart and left them in the truck, or I was a dumb ass and they are laying out there somewhere." I looked at Sam and he rolled his eyes as he got out of the car. I just sat there. I couldn't make myself move. I was trying so hard not to look up at Leah's window.

"Hey, what you know? You actually did something smart!" He held up my keys. "They were inside your shoe."

I got out of the car and took the keys from him. "Thanks, Sam." I got into the truck and reached for my Pumas. I slipped them on and Sam said, "Hey, bro. It's gonna be OK. Talk to her later. Fix this."

I nodded and said, "I gotta get to school. I'm going to be late." He stepped back so I could shut the door. I started the truck and slammed it into drive and peeled away. I had to get away from there. I couldn't take the pain.

I went on to school and somehow made it through my morning classes then headed into the cafeteria for lunch. I found Quil at a table and sat down next to him. "Hey, dude. You look fried. What's up? Where's your lunch?"

"Not hungry."

"OK, now I know something is wrong. Talk."

"I can't, Quil. It's nothing personal, dude, it's just . . . I physically can't talk about it anymore. I can't take it."

I leaned back in my chair and stretched my legs out under the table and just stared at my books sitting there in front of me.

Quil shrugged and kept eating. He had known me long enough to know when to leave me alone. Unlike Seth, who plopped down beside me with Abby right behind him. "Embry, you OK, bro?"

I looked at him and said, "What do you think?"

He looked over at Abby and then picked up his sandwich and took a bite. Quil looked over at him and raised his eyebrows, but Seth just shook his head. Finally Seth said to me quietly, "Jake brought Leah home about four this morning. Mom was scared to death when she didn't come home. I called Sam and he told me you were there, and he sent Jake to find Leah. He had to carry her all the way home and up the stairs to her bed. She wouldn't talk to anyone, not even Mom."

I just closed my eyes. _Oh Leah. What is happening to us? _

"I just thought you might want to know," Seth added. Then he nodded to Abby and they picked up their trays and went to a different table.

I leaned forward and put my head into my hands. I couldn't stand the physical ache inside my chest. It was killing me! _God, I hope she's alright. Why didn't she go home? And why won't she talk to her mom? And why I am so worried about her? She's the one that did this to us. This is all her fault! Well, hers and that jack-ass, Josiah. _

Quil put his hand on my shoulder and I jumped. "Sorry, dude. Just wanted to let you know lunch period is almost over."

"Thanks," I muttered. I picked up my books and walked to my locker. I opened it and threw my books inside and tried to find the books I needed for my afternoon classes. I pulled them out and slammed my locker door shut. _I gotta find some way to get through the rest of the day._

Leah POV:

I tried to open my eyes but the light was so bright. The sun was shining in my window, so it must be really late. I glanced at the clock to see it was after one. I rolled over and put the pillow over my head. I had no reason to get up, so I decided to lay there.

The door opened and someone came in. I pulled the pillow away to see Mom standing there. "You ready to talk yet?"

I shook my head and put the pillow back over my face. She pulled the pillow away and threw it on the floor then sat down on the bed. "Well, that's too bad because I am. I guess you can just listen." I just shrugged, so she said, "You scared me to death last night, Leah. When you didn't come home, I thought . . . well, I thought you had been kidnapped again. Then Seth told me what happened. Oh Leah. How could you? How could you kiss someone else? Especially the same guy that kidnapped you before? What were you thinking, honey?"

I just rolled away from her and stared at the wall. "Look, I know you. I know how much you love Embry. You just told me you wanted to marry him. So, I know that this kiss with Josiah wasn't what it looked like. I'm sure you had a good reason for doing it, but, I'm sure that Embry doesn't see it that way, does he? So, I take it you chased him down and tried to explain everything to him and he got angrier. And now, he won't talk to you. So, you've just decided to spend the rest of your life in this bed. Does that about cover it?"

I rolled back and looked at her. I nodded. She smiled and said, "Oh, Leah. That's not the girl I raised. Where's my little spitfire? The one who goes after what she wants? I will not allow you to lay here and give up. You can wallow in self-pity for a little while longer, but eventually, you will get up and fix this. Do you hear me?" I nodded. "I would like to hear why you were kissing Josiah, but I will let you tell me in your own time. I also expect someone to show up and fix my banister."

She stood up and walked toward the door. She turned back and said, "I love you, Leah. But I want you to know if you ever scare me like that again, there will be hell to pay. Got it?"

I smiled and nodded. She opened the door and walked out then closed it behind her. I laid there and stared at the ceiling. I knew she was right. I would have to try to fix this. I wasn't the kind of girl who could lay down and give up. But, I would wait just a little longer. I rolled over and closed my eyes.

Embry POV:

Thank God school was over for the day. I don't think it did any good what so ever to be here today. I don't remember anything any of my teachers talked about. I opened the truck door and threw my book bag onto the seat. I sat there and waited for Quil. He came jogging over and jumped in. "Uh, Seth told me he was taking the bus home." I nodded and started the engine. I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road toward Quil's.

"You going home or to Claire's?" I asked.

"Home," he answered. I nodded and kept driving. Quil looked at me and said, "I guess this has to do with Leah, huh? I mean, I got that from what Seth said today at lunch."

I just stared straight ahead and said nothing.

"OK. Well, whatever it is, I hope you guys fix it soon," he said.

I glanced at him. "What makes you think we can fix it?"

He shrugged. "Cause, you guys belong together. Everyone knows that. You can't live without her, dude."

"Yea, that's the fucking problem right there."

"What did she do, Embry? What was so bad that you can't forgive her?"

"How do you know she did something?"

"Cause of the way you treated Seth. You never treat Seth like that. You love that little runt, I know you do. So she must have done something pretty bad."

I smiled and glanced at him. "You're pretty smart, you know? I hate that about you."

He laughed. "So? What did she do?"

"She kissed someone else. And I walked in on them."

"No shit? Who?"

"Josiah, my cousin. You know, the monster that killed those guys and kidnapped her? Yea, him."

"Holy crap. No wonder you're so pissed. I just can't see her doing that. I mean, she's really into you. I've seen what goes on in both of your heads, and . . . man. And you saw them?"

"Yea, and no matter how hard I try, I can't get that fucking image out of my head. But at least Dad took him away. He's at the rez up north. He left today."

He nodded. "Sorry, bro. I really am."

I glanced at him again. "Thanks, Quil."

I pulled up to his house and he opened the door to get out. "Hey, if you need me, call, OK?"

I smiled and said, "Yea, bro. I will."

He shut the door and jogged up to his house. I pulled away and drove for home.

I parked the truck and walked up the steps into the house. I collapsed onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. I was beat and really needed a nap. But as tired as I was, I didn't want to close my eyes. I knew what I would see there, and I was sick of seeing it. I rubbed my hand over my chest. _God, I wish this ache would go away!_ It hurt so bad to be away from her.

I laid there and thought about the talk I had last night with Sam. I really appreciated him coming after me. And he had a lot of good things to say. I was glad he was going to back off of Leah. Not for me, but for Emily. She needed him now, and soon, so would the baby. He needed to be there for them 24/7.

I also knew he was right about me. I needed her. I needed her too much. I couldn't live without her.

Leah POV:

I rolled over and looked at the clock. It was now almost five! _OK, Leah. That's long enough. _I hauled my butt out of bed and forced myself to walk down the hall to the bathroom to shower. I stood there and let the water rain over me. It felt really good. I washed my hair and conditioned it and I even shaved my legs. I got out and dried off and wrapped the towel around me and just as I was walking into my room, Seth came out of his.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," I answered.

He just stood there, staring at the floor. I felt like he wanted to say something, but he was trying to decide if he should or not. He finally looked at me and asked, "Why, Leah? Why were you kissing him?" I could see the pain on this face. This was hurting him, too. He loved Embry I think almost as much as he loved me.

"He had to go away today. Josh took him to the rez up north for . . . werewolves like them. He's really scared and he doesn't want to go so he came here to talk to me about it. I felt really bad for him, and . . . we talked and he felt better and before he left, he just kissed me. It wasn't romantic at all, and you guys just walked in at the wrong time. I shouldn't have done it, and I pretty much feel like shit for hurting Embry like that. I hate myself a lot right now."

He had watched me while I was talking and now he put his head down. "I saw Embry today. He looks like shit. He wouldn't even talk to me."

"Thanks, Seth. That makes me feel so much better."

He looked at me then and smiled a little. "I just wanted you to know that . . . he's hurt really bad."

"Yea, I know. I tried to talk to him last night and explain . . . out in the woods. He yelled at me and then left, and I just couldn't . . . I couldn't move. I fucked up, Seth. Big time. And I'm not sure how to fix it."

"But you want to, right?"

"Of course I want to! I love him. I love him so much. I need to fix this, because I don't know how to live without him."

Seth nodded. "Good. Then do it."

I smiled. "That simple, huh?"

"Yep."

"OK, I will. Thanks, little brother." He nodded and went on downstairs.

I walked into my room and closed the door to get dressed. If it was that simple then I better get to it.

Embry POV:

I must have finally fallen asleep because when I woke up, it was dark out. I looked at my phone. Wow, it was going on seven! I sat up and wiped my eyes then stood up and walked out into the kitchen. My stomach gave a huge rumble. I hadn't eaten all day except for a few bites of that muffin this morning at Emily's. That's not good for a growing werewolf. I saw a note on the table, so I picked it up and read it:

_Embry,_

_You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you. I went out with your dad, but I ordered a pizza for you and put it in the fridge before I left. I knew you'd wake up hungry. _

_Love you, Mom_

_Wow, pizza suddenly sounds really good. _I opened the fridge and opened the box and took out a slice. _Oh yea. That's what I'm talking about. _I took the box with me and sat on the couch. I picked up the remote and turned on the TV. I flicked channels while I ate a couple of slices, but I couldn't settle on anything, so I shut it off. As I picked up another slice of pizza out of the box, I remembered Leah and me, laying in her bed eating cold pizza out of the box. That's the night I told her about my plan to marry her. I dropped the piece of pizza back into the box and just sat there. I closed my eyes and brought up that memory of her sitting on the end of the bed, wearing my t-shirt, eating pizza and smiling at me. And after we ate, we made love.

I opened my eyes. I _can't take it. Whatever her reason was for kissing Josiah, I have to get over it. I have to find a way to forgive her. I need her. I want her. I love her._

I picked up the pizza box and carried it back to the kitchen and put it in the fridge. I stood there looking out the kitchen window. _Just do it, man. Just go talk to her._ I hung my head and tried to stay angry. _She hurt you. She could hurt you again._ Josiah was gone now, and if he ever came back, I would kill the son of a bitch. Leah is going to have to understand that if we are going to be together, she can't be with him again, ever.

I grabbed my keys off of the table and walked out to the truck. I couldn't take it anymore. This pain in my chest was not going to go away. It was killing me to be away from her. I had to see her. I slammed the door behind me and as I walked toward the truck, I noticed there was a note under the windshield wiper. I pulled it off and unfolded it. It said:

_Embry,_

_I can't do this anymore. I know I can't live without you, and it is killing me to know how much I hurt you. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I'll be where you left me._

_I love you,_

_Leah._

I read that last line again. "_I'll be where you left me." Where is that? The woods? From last night?_ I jumped into the truck and pulled out onto the street trying to think of the best way to get close to where we were last night.

Leah POV:

I laid there in the same clearing and looked up again at the night sky. The moon was up and it was a half-moon. If you looked real hard you could see the hidden half. I always thought that was cool when I was a kid. I wondered if Embry would find my note. _What if he didn't go out to his truck until morning?_ Well, I would think of something else then. _I would fix this. I had to. _I had brought a blanket to lay on this time. The ground was getting colder, and even though I ran a high temp, it was a little uncomfortable after awhile. I had no idea how long I would have to wait. As it turned out, it wasn't as long as I thought it would be.

"Leah? Leah! Are you out here?" I heard him call. My heart started jumping in my chest. _He came! He read my note and he came!_

"Yes! I'm here!" I shouted back. I stood up and looked around. I wasn't sure which way he was coming from. Suddenly, there he was. He jogged into the clearing and stopped a few feet from me.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," I answered. We just stood there for a few seconds then I said, "I am so sorry, Embry. I am so sorry," I cried. I couldn't believe I had any tears left. I thought I had cried them all out.

"I know you're sorry, but you have to understand something. I have had a really hard time dealing with you and Sam, but he's my brother, so I backed off, even though when I saw you in his arms the other night I wanted to beat the shit out of him. Then I see you . . . and him, and, baby, I can't take it. If you're going to be with me, then you have to be with JUST me. Do you get that?"

I nodded. I couldn't speak. I was afraid to say anything, and the tears just kept falling.

He put his hands on my upper arms. "And you have to know that if he ever comes back here, I won't allow him anywhere near you alone. I know you trust him, but I don't."

"I know. I won't. I'm so sorry. I'm so . . . " I couldn't go on. A sob wracked my body and I lost it.

He stood there and stared at me for a few seconds then he pulled me into his arms. He held me and ran his hand down my head. "Shhh. Stop, baby. It's all over now. I'm here."

I finally cried it all out and pulled back to wipe my face. He stepped back and pulled off the t-shirt he was wearing and handed me his shirt. "Here, it's wet already. You might as well use it to clean up." Then he smiled at me.

I took it and smiled. I remembered that is the same thing he said to me on the beach that first night we talked and I cried all over him about Sam. I told him that and he nodded. "Yea, I remember," he said.

"Thanks," I said as I wiped my face. I inhaled deeply his scent from the shirt. I felt his arms come around me again.

"Listen, baby. I won't lie. It hurt like hell to see you kiss . . . but, my nosy big brother came to find me last night and set me straight." I pulled back and looked at him. "He made me see that you have a soft heart, and sometimes it leads you to do things that aren't always going to make me happy. Like with you and Sam."

I hung my head and closed my eyes. "He told me he is going to back off and let me worry about you and take care of you. From now on you are just his sister, OK?" I nodded. "I know it's been hard because of what you two had, but if we are going to move forward then we have to put all of that into the past and leave it there. Right?" I nodded again. "And this thing with Josiah, well, we are going to move on from that, too. He went north today, and I can't help but be glad that he won't be around to hurt you."

I started to open my mouth to protest, but he put his finger over my lips. "I know you don't think he would ever hurt you. But, you know from Dad that when he phases, he can't help what he does. I don't ever want you to go missing again. That almost killed me." I smiled and nodded. I could understand that.

He took my face into his hands and looked into my eyes. "Leah, I love you so much. You are everything to me. I've told you that over and over. I want to be everything to you. I want to be enough for you. I don't ever want you to go to anyone else for anything. I want you to come to me. Do you understand what I mean?" I nodded yet again. "And I don't EVER want to see you kissing someone else like that again. From now on, ALL of your kisses are mine. Got it?"

I gave him a big smile as I nodded. "Yes, Embry. I love you so much." He pulled me close and kissed me very gently on the lips. "I can't live without you, baby. I had this constant ache in my chest the whole time we were apart. It's finally gone." He kissed me again and I melted into his arms.

He pulled back and said, "Let's go home."

I smiled at him then looked up at the night sky and saw the half moon. "Embry, look at the half-moon." He looked up at the sky with me. "There's the half that's shining, and if you look real close, you can see the darker half. I was thinking while I was waiting for you, how that is like us. Two halves joined as one. Neither can survive without the other." I looked over at him and smiled.

"You got that right," he said. Then he put his arm around me and led me out of the clearing toward home.


	55. Chapter 54

CHAPTER 54

Embry POV:

Life became a lot easier after that. My dad told me he would help me fix Sue's banister that I splintered when I threw Josiah into it. We spent a whole weekend working on it. Dad was really good at this stuff. Sue said it looked better than the original one!

Leah helped me get caught up at school and, thanks to Seth's genius idea about the flyers, our car repair business was actually picking up again. Money was flowing in, most of it going into the bank, and we thought if business stayed good, we might be able to give Mr. Collins a down payment by June. That would be awesome! The sooner we moved into the shop, the sooner Leah and I could get married.

Jake told me he was thinking of marrying Bella, too. But, he knew she wasn't in a hurry to get married after almost making that mistake with Edward. Besides, Bella was a little leery of marriage because of her parent's divorce. It had been pretty rough on her as a kid. I felt bad for Jake because I knew he would marry her tomorrow, he was that in love with her. I had a feeling she would change her mind with time.

Leah started her new job at the restaurant and she really liked it. She was doing OK working and keeping up on her college classes, but we didn't have as much time together. I had gone in and eaten a couple of times, but I knew it made her nervous, so I didn't make a habit of it.

Seth was kind of lost without her, too, although I knew he wouldn't admit it. He liked having her cook for him and fuss over him. Spoiled little brat. But he had Abby now, so he was spending more time with her. He had turned 16 last weekend, and his mom finally let him get a permit, so Jake and I were teaching him to drive. I let him drive the truck first because it was an automatic and well, it was a piece of crap. So, if he hit anything with it, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. He was actually a pretty good driver. He picked things up quick. Leah said he could drive the Jeep, so we took him out and I showed him how. He pissed Leah off by picking it up quicker than her! He enjoyed that.

Mom and Dad's wedding was in two days. Dad had just gotten back from his "time away" as Mom called it. He was only gone three days this time. I was glad the wedding was almost here because Mom was driving me crazy! She had said she wanted a small, simple ceremony. But, of course, she's a woman, and apparently they aren't capable of doing small and simple. She and Sue drove all the way to Seattle to find Mom a "simple" wedding dress. Of course, she came home with one, but she also had a suit for me to wear. A suit! I had never worn a suit in my life! And a shirt, and tie . . . it was a nightmare. Thank goodness I already had a belt and shoes from Sam's wedding, or she would have made me go shopping for shoes. A fate worse than death. Leah told me to quit being a baby. This was my mom's day, so I should suck it up and be good for her. So, I did. Sue made me try the suit on so she could make some adjustments to it. Sam thought it was hilarious until Mom announced that he needed one, too. Dad took him shopping one afternoon and bought him one. He let me go along just so I could make fun of Sam. It was a good day!

They were getting married in a little church in town then the reception would be at Sue's house. Sue insisted. Emily told Mom in no uncertain terms that she was making the wedding cake, and Mom was not paying one red cent for it. That fight lasted at least two days before Mom realized you can't win against Emily. Her baby bump had turned into a baby belly, and Mom was worried about her doing too much. That didn't fly either. Emily would have her way. I told Mom to give it a rest, that this is just who Emily is and it made her feel good to do this. So she did.

Dad asked Sam and I both to serve as Best Man because he said we were the "best men he knew." Corny, yea, but it made me feel good. I told Sam he was holding the ring because I couldn't take that pressure again! He laughed and agreed. I was giving the bride away. Mom insisted. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but I agreed to it. Mom asked Emily and Leah to be her bridesmaids, so it was going to be a family affair. Of course, they had to have new dresses, so off they went to Port Angeles on a Saturday to find them. They came home all giggly and chatty about their day. I had to admit it was fun to see them all enjoying being together.

Dad was going to move into our tiny little house with us. I was afraid that would be a little weird. They told me it was only temporary. They had their eye on a bigger house and were trying to work out a deal with the owners. Dad had sold his house in Port Angeles already to one of the guys he worked with on the docks. He had just gotten married and was looking for a small house. Sam and I were driving up there tomorrow to help him move some of his stuff here.

I was sitting in the truck waiting for Seth to come out of school. I usually gave Quil a ride home, but Quil was spending more and more time with Claire and today, he stayed home with her because she had a check-up with her pediatrician in Port Angeles and she wanted Quil to go with her. I shook my head and thought again about how patient he was, and how glad I was for the hundredth time that it wasn't me that imprinted on a toddler!

I was going to let Seth drive us over to Jake's, so I was sitting in the passenger side of the truck. I watched the door for him and saw him and Abby walk out and turn for the parking lot. They were holding hands and talking. Abby laughed at something Seth said and smacked him on the arm. They were so fun to watch. They walked up to the truck and Seth opened the door and Abby crawled in. "Hey Embry," she said to me.

I looked over at Seth and said, "Um, hi Abby."

"Cheerleading practice was cancelled and Abby's bus already left. I told her we could take her home. That's OK, isn't it?" Abby looked over at me with her cute, little pitiful face.

I smiled and said, "Of course it is. Let's go." Seth fired up the engine and drove us out of the parking lot. "I don't suppose it had anything to do with me letting you drive? You didn't want to show her your mad driving skills?"

Seth rolled his eyes and Abby giggled, as only Abby could. "Whatever," he muttered. Yea, I knew him too well.

We chatted about school and Abby told me about getting a letter from her brother in the Navy. "He's going to be in Seattle in a couple of weeks and he wants me to come over and see him," she said excitedly. "I really want to, but I don't know how I'll get there."

"Why doesn't he come here? Or why doesn't your mom drive you?" I asked.

She turned to me and said, "He hates my mom. He doesn't want to see her at all. Only me." I nodded. Wow. That's sad.

"Well, it's a good thing you have a good friend with a truck, huh? I'll drive you there. Or, we can all go in Leah's Jeep."

Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. "You mean it? You would do that for me?"

"Yea, sure. You're a good kid, and I like ya."

She launched herself at me and grabbed me around the neck. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Um, I think I do. You're squeezing all of the air out of me!" I managed to get out.

She let me go and laughed. "I'm sorry!"

"It's OK, Abby. You get the details and let me know where and when, OK?"

She nodded her pretty little head like a bobble-head and looked over at Seth. He glanced at me and said, "Thanks, bro."

I nodded. Seth pulled us up to Abby's trailer and parked the truck and stepped out. Abby looked over at me and said, "Embry, you're the best. Thank you so much." Then she kissed me on the cheek, smiled at me and got out. Seth took her hand and walked her to the door. He held her and kissed her then, as always, he stood there and looked sadly at the trailer as she disappeared inside.

He hopped back into the truck and closed the door. "You really care about her, don't you?" I asked him.

He looked over at me. "Yea, I really do." I patted his shoulder and he put the truck in reverse and backed out and we headed for home.

Friday was finally here, thank God! We had a half day today because of some teacher meeting, so I was out at eleven. I dropped Quil off at Claire's and then Seth and I headed to his house. I was taking him home, but I was going to eat lunch with Leah then head over to Sam's to take him with me to Dad's house in Port Angeles.

We parked the truck and walked into the house. _What is that smell? Something smells fantastic! _Seth and I looked at each other and headed for the kitchen.

"Man, something smells really good! What are you cooking?" Seth asked Leah, who was at the stove stirring something.

"Yea? It's gruel. You'll love it." Seth rolled his eyes and went to the fridge to get something to drink. I walked up behind Leah and put my arms around her waist and kissed her neck.

"That does smell good," I said over her shoulder. She held up the spoon for me to take a taste. "Wow, that's good! What is it?"

She looked over her shoulder to see where Seth was. He had left the kitchen so she said, "I found a recipe for Lamb Stew, but don't tell Seth it's lamb. Mom made lamb one year for Easter and he threw a fit and wouldn't eat it because it was a cute, little baby lamb."

I laughed and said, "Well, I'll eat it. Cute or not, it's delicious!" She turned and kissed me. I took her in my arms and kissed her back.

Seth came back in the kitchen and said, "Hey can you make out later? I'm starving!"

I pulled away and said, "Me, too! Is it ready?"

Leah smiled and said, "Sit down, you two." She put the pot of stew on the table and ladled some into each of our bowls, then some for herself. There were warm biscuits in a basket on the table so I grabbed one and dunked it in the stew and took a bite. "Oh my God, Leah. This is fucking awesome."

Leah laughed and looked at Seth. "Wow! I got a 'fucking awesome.' That is very high praise." I laughed and took my spoon and dug in.

Seth took a bite and told her it was great. Then he asked what it was. "It's stew, and that's all you need to know," she said. He nodded and ate. I guess he knew not to ask a lot of questions when it came to food.

"Be sure to save room for dessert. I made pumpkin pie." I looked at her and said with my mouth full, "Are you serious?"

"Close your mouth and yes, I'm serious."

Seth laughed at that and shoveled in more stew. We finished lunch and Leah cut the pie. "I love pumpkin pie. I love ANY pie," I told her.

Seth and I had two pieces of pie and finally declared ourselves full. Seth excused himself from the table to go and call Abby. "OMG, you've been away from each other for, like, a whole hour!" I said in a silly girl voice.

He threw a biscuit at me and I caught it and took a bite out of it. He rolled his eyes and walked out of the kitchen. I put the biscuit down and looked at Leah. I scooted my chair back and said, "Come here, baby."

She got up and sat down on my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck. "I wish I could spend the rest of the day with you, "I said to her.

"It's OK. I understand. I'm glad you're helping your dad. Is it weird for you to think about all of you living in that little house together?"

"Yea, kind of. I mean, the walls are pretty thin, you know? I made sure I bought a new pair of headphones for my CD player. I guess I'll just listen to music at night."

She laughed and said, "I never thought about that. You're right. Oh Embry." I kissed her and held her close.

"But you know," I said close to her ear, "they are going to be gone for a whole week on their honeymoon. I will have the whole house to myself."

She smiled. "Yea?"

I nodded. "I want you to find some way to stay with me, at least one whole night. I want so much to sleep with you and wake up with you in my arms." I captured her lips in a kiss and she opened her mouth to let my tongue caress hers. We kissed until we were both a little breathless, and my pants were a little tighter and getting uncomfortable.

She pulled away and said, "I promise I will. I want that, too, very much." I smiled and she got up.

I looked down and said, "Um, I think I'll just sit here for a minute, if you don't mind." She laughed and said, "Yea, OK."

I finally tore myself away from Leah to drive to Sam's and pick him up. Of course he had to rag on me for being late. "I thought you said you would be here at 12:30, not 12:55," he said as he climbed into the truck.

"Sorry, bro. Leah was all over me. What could I do?" I glanced over and saw him smile at that.

"Yea, OK, I'll give you that one." He pulled something out of his jacket pocket. "Hey, before you drive, take a look at this," he said has he handed me a picture. "That's our baby!"

I gazed at this black and white picture, and was amazed! It was a baby. You could make it out perfectly. "Wow, Sam. This is awesome!"

"Yea, I know. It's a girl, bro. We're having a baby girl!" His face was lit up with excitement. "We had the ultrasound this morning. She's growing perfectly, and right on schedule to be here on Valentine's Day."

I handed the picture back to him and held my hand for a high five. He smacked it and I said, "Congratulations! Wow, a baby girl."

I started the truck and drove out onto the road. "Is Emily excited?"

"Oh, you have no idea. She can't wait to run out and get some little dresses. Man, a girl. I'm going to have to get a shotgun so I can sit on the porch and run off all her dates!"

That made me laugh. "I can picture that, bro!" I told him, and I could! We talked on the way to Port Angeles more about the baby. They had picked out boy names, but they hadn't settled on any girl names. They were going to work on that this weekend, he said. We talked about the wedding and other stuff and then I handed him the directions Mom had written down for me. "Help me find where I'm going," I asked him.

He helped me find the right streets and we pulled up in front of Dad's. It was a nice little house for the neighborhood. Leah had tried to describe it for me. She had only been here that one time with Jake, but she did a pretty good job. It looked just like she said. We got out and Dad came out onto the porch. "Hey boys!" he called and waved to us. We walked up onto the porch and he led us inside.

He had decided to sell most of the furniture and appliances with the house, but he wanted to save some things. He had a lot of boxes sitting in the front of the door for us to load into the truck. "Is it OK if I look around first?" I asked him.

"Sure," he said. I started with the little living room. There was the fireplace that Leah had told me about. There were no pictures on the mantle now. He had packed them all into boxes. I walked back down the hall and saw a small bathroom then the hall ended in the little kitchen. I looked out at the backyard. Dad had planted flowers along the fence line. It looked nice.

I walked back down the hall and went up the stairs. There were two small bedrooms and a bathroom up here. Dad had more boxes sitting in the one bedroom. "Dad? You want these boxes downstairs?" I hollered out.

"Yes," he hollered back. I stacked up three boxes and picked them and headed down the stairs. I set them down at the bottom of the stairs. Dad had just walked back into the house from loading the truck and I said, "This is a nice little house."

He smiled and said, "Thanks. I did most of the work on it myself. In fact, I have decided that's what I 'm going to do for a job. I'm going to get myself licensed as a contractor. What do you think?"

I nodded. "I think it's great! You should ask Sam to help you. He's really good at that kind of thing, too."

"Really?"

"Yea. You've seen his house. It was pretty dumpy when they first moved in. He's made it really nice."

Dad looked at me and smiled. "Maybe I will. Thanks, son."

"You're welcome."

Sam came in as I asked, "Dad? Um, Leah said that Charlie had done a credit check on you when he was trying to find you and that you didn't have a mortgage or credit cards. How did you buy this house?"

"That's not really our business, Embry," Sam scolded.

I gave him a look and Dad said, "No, it's OK. I don't mind telling you guys. When my grandpa died, he left me some gold coins. I locked them away in a safe deposit box for an emergency. Well, when I came here, I needed a place to live and figured that was an emergency. So, I went to the bank and saw what gold was selling for and about fainted! I sold just a few of those coins and bought this house. I got this place for back taxes, so it wasn't much. But I've worked on it over the years, and I made a pretty good profit on it. At least enough to find us a new house in LaPush or Forks."

"Wow. Impressive, Dad," I said.

He smiled. "Well, I still have some of those gold coins. I have them divided. Some for you," he said to me, "some for you," he said to Sam, "and some left in case I have another child."

My eyes grew wide at that. "You and Mom? Might . . . have a baby?"

"Come on, we're not that old! You're mom is still young. She's just 36! And I'm only 40. It's not completely out of the question. And, as much as I love having boys, it might be fun to have a girl."

Sam grinned at me. He pulled the picture out of his jacket and handed it to Dad. "Speaking of baby girls, take a look at this."

"Wow. Sam . . . this is amazing. This is your baby." Dad looked up at him and said, "You are a lucky man."

Sam chuckled. "That, I am. It's a girl. We're having a baby girl." Dad hugged Sam and patted him on the back.

"That is great! I'm so happy for you two." He handed the picture back to Sam who said, "Thanks, Gramps."

"Gramps? Oh God, that makes me sound so old! Maybe I am too old to have another baby." We all laughed at that. "Come on. Let's get these boxes loaded before I grow a long beard and have to walk with a cane."

We loaded my truck and Dad's truck. It was fun getting his mattress and box springs down that tight stairway, but we made it. Dad took one last look around then closed the door and locked it. He put the key in the mailbox then he turned to look at us and said, "Let's go home."


	56. Chapter 55

CHAPTER 55

Leah POV:

"Seth! Seriously, come on! I can't be late, I'm a bridesmaid!" I yelled at him for the hundredth time. Mom was still in the kitchen making sure everything was ready for the reception. Emily had brought the cake over this morning and set it up and it looked beautiful. Everyone was ready to go except Seth who was freaking out over his hair.

I kicked off my shoes and stomped up the stairs and banged loudly on the bathroom door. "Seth if you don't come with me right now, we won't have time to pick up Abby on the way to the church. I am leaving RIGHT NOW!"

The bathroom door flung open and there was Seth. He really looked handsome in the new suit that Mom bought him. He whined at first, but when he found out that Sam and Embry had to wear one, he was OK with it. It was black, like theirs, and Mom had bought him a dark blue shirt and a black and blue striped tie to wear with it. We finally got past the tying the tie fiasco, and moved onto to the hair gel drama. "You look great! Let's go!" I tugged at his arm.

"I got too much gel in my hair and I can't get it out!" he whined.

"We'll fix it at the church," I threw at him as I dragged him down the stairs. "Mom! We're leaving!" I hollered out. I reached down and slid my heels back on.

"OK! See you there!" she hollered back.

I grabbed my purse and keys and flung open the door. Seth followed me to the Jeep. I threw him the keys and said, "You drive. I can't drive in these shoes." He grinned at me and jumped into the driver's seat. I knew that would get him to quit whining! I got in carefully to try and not wrinkle my dress and buckled my seat belt. Seth took off and we headed for Abby's house.

"You look really nice in that dress," he said quietly.

I looked at him and smiled and said, "What? I'm not sure I heard you?"

He looked over and said, "Yea, you did. You just want to hear it again. Vain!"

"At least I didn't have a meltdown over my hair!" I said as I smacked his arm. We laughed at each other and I asked him how the bachelor party went last night.

"OK, I guess. No one got drunk and there were no hookers or anything, so I thought it was pretty boring."

"Seth!" I yelled. "Where did you get the idea that there would be booze and hookers?"

"One of my friends at school told me that's what bachelor parties were, so that's what I thought."

I laughed. "Well, sorry you were disappointed." I looked over at him as he drove and said, "You look nice, too, by the way."

He laughed and said, "What? I'm not sure I heard you?"

I smacked his arm and said, "Vain!"

He pulled up to Abby's and parked the Jeep. As usual, she came running out the door as soon as we pulled up. Seth got out and she ran into his arms. She looked really pretty. She was wearing a coat, but I could see a light pink dress sticking out from under it, and she had her hair up and pretty dangling earrings on. Seth held the seat for her and she climbed into the back. "Hi Leah!" she said excitedly.

"Hi Abby. You look pretty!" I told her.

"Thanks! So do you. I knew you would look really nice in that color." I had showed her my dress when she was at the house last week for dinner. It was dark purple, and I loved the color, too. I knew it was Embry's favorite color on me.

"Seth looks pretty spiffy, don't you think?" I asked her.

She smiled really big and said, "Yes. He looks really handsome." I saw the shy smile spread on his face.

We chatted on the way to the church about the wedding. Seth pulled up to the door to let us off then he went to park the Jeep. We walked inside and I told Abby I better go and find Emily and Angie. I told her about Seth's meltdown over his hair and asked her if she would help him fix it. She giggled and assured me she would take care of it.

I walked through the church looking for where Angie and Emily might be. I heard footsteps behind me and before I could turn around I felt arms come around my waist and a voice in my ear said, "You look beautiful. You know that's my favorite color on you." I smiled and leaned back into Embry.

"Why do you think I picked it?" I asked as he kissed my neck.

"I like when you have your hair up, too. Makes this much easier," he said while kissing me. I turned to face him and he took my breath away!

He was wearing his new black suit, with a dark purple shirt and a black and purple tie. Emily had trimmed his hair and he had it swooped to the side like I liked it. "You look hot, mister," I said as I ran my hands up around his neck.

"Oh yea? You like this look, huh?" He put his hands on my back.

"Yes, I do," I said as I leaned in to kiss him. I was just getting to that melting point when I heard Emily say, "Hey! We've been looking all over for you! Little brother, get your lips off her! We have to get ready!"

We broke apart and he held up his hands and said to her, "Hey, don't blame me! She's the one that said I looked hot and put her lips all over me."

I smacked him and Emily grabbed my hand and dragged me down the hall. I waved at Embry and he laughed and called, "Don't worry! I'll remember where we left off!"

Emily pulled me into a small room and closed the door and there was Angie. "Oh wow. Angie, you look so beautiful!" She was wearing an off-white long dress that was sleeveless and came to a V at her waist and the skirt flowed from the waist in pleats. She had her hair up in a French twist with a beads worked into it. She was wearing pearl drop earrings that used to belong to her mother. She had waited so long for this day, and I was so happy for her.

"You don't think it's too fancy, do you?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, it's perfect."

She reached out and hugged me and said, "I can't believe this is really happening. I am finally marrying the man I love. Thank you, Leah. Thank you for finding him and bringing him back to me."

I smiled and said, "You are very welcome."

Emily looked beautiful , too. Her dress was just like mine, only in lavender. It was a shorter dress, to the knees, with a princess waistline which was high and left room for the baby. Emily handed us our flowers and said, "Are you ready?"

"YES!" Angie shouted. "I am more than ready."

There was a knock on the door. I stepped over and opened it and Embry came in. "Hey, baby," he said as he kissed me. Then he spotted Angie. "Wow, Mom. You look amazing." She flashed him a radiant smile. He walked over and hugged her. "You ready to get hitched? Cause I gotta tell you, Dad is sweating bullets out there he's so nervous!"

Angie laughed. "I know. I promised I would keep this simple, and well, I guess I got a little carried away."

"It's OK. You only do this once, right? You are only doing this once?" he asked.

"Yes, most definitely. Let's go." Embry put out his arm and she took it.

I opened the door and we all walked down the short hallway to the doors of the sanctuary. We lined up and Emily looked back and said, "Here we go!"

I opened the door and Emily made her way down the aisle to the music. I focused on Sam's face as he watched her walk toward him. He smiled and winked at her when she got to the altar. Then it was my turn! I smiled at Angie and Embry. She blew me a kiss and Embry mouthed, "I love you." I mouthed "I love you," then I turned and walked down the aisle. I smiled at Josh and he smiled, but he looked like he might pass out! Then it was time for the bride to make her entrance.

All eyes turned to Angie and Embry. I watched them slowly make their way toward me. Embry looked so handsome in his suit, and he was so proud to be giving his mom away today to his dad. I knew this was a day that all of them would remember forever.

Embry POV:

I couldn't believe how beautiful Mom looked. And now, here I was, walking her down the aisle to marry my dad. _How bizarre is that? _Dad was a nervous wreck up there! But I knew this was a day that both of them had waited for, for way too long. We were almost there and I couldn't help but look over at Leah. She looked at me and I wished so much this was our wedding.

We arrived and the minister asked, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

I spoke up and said, "I do." Then I turned to Mom and kissed her on the cheek and whispered, "I love you, Mom. Be happy, OK?" She nodded and touched my cheek. I took her hand and put it in my dad's and winked at him. He smiled at me and then I stepped up beside Sam.

Mom and Dad stood there hand-in-hand as the minister married them. They gazed at each other and smiled. I divided my time between watching them and looking over at Leah. I noticed her looking at me, too. First Sam and Emily, then Mom and Dad, and next it would be our turn. I couldn't wait. Sam expertly handled giving Dad the ring at the appropriate time, of course. Sometimes I wondered if anything really rattled him. He always seemed to handle things so well.

They were pronounced husband and wife and Dad was given permission to kiss his bride. Dad took Mom's face in his hands and kissed her. She had tears in her eyes, but I had never seen her that happy in my whole life. I knew this is what she wanted more than anything, and I was glad her dream was finally coming true. They turned and walked back down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Uley. Sam and Emily and Leah and I followed them.

When we walked through the door, everyone was hugging and laughing. Mom and Dad both turned to me. I just stood there for a second and looked at them. "Look at you two. My parents are married! To each other! " They reached out and I walked in between them for a family group hug. It was one of the most awesome feelings in the world. Something I had longed for as a little boy, and it was finally happening. They let me go and I looked at Dad and said, "I'm really glad you're here, and that we are a family."

He gripped my shoulder and said, "You have no idea how much I have wanted this. And to find out I have a son, with the woman I have loved so long . . . well, that's just icing on the cake. Today, I can truly say, I am a happy man." He pulled me to him and held me. I closed my eyes and thought how incredible this year had turned out to be. I have my dad! He's right here, and he's a part of my life. I couldn't imagine a happier day . . . except for the day I made Leah my wife.

He let me go and I said, "OK, enough of this! Let's go party!" Sam held up his hand for a high five and said, "That's what I'm talking about." I slapped his hand and Dad laughed.

Sue and the others left to get the food out while we stayed behind for some pictures. The photographer finally finished up and Sam said, "Good! Now I can get some of these clothes off so I can breathe." He whipped his jacket off and untied his tie and took it off. He unbuttoned the top few buttons on his shirt then took a deep breath and looked at me and said with a grin. "Come on, bro. You know you want to."

I laughed and said, "Damn right I do. I'm baking in this thing!"

Just as I started to take my jacket off, Emily walked up. "Sam! Couldn't you have waited at least until we left the church?

"I'm sorry, baby, but I couldn't breathe wearing all that stuff," Sam told her.

"Look at Embry! He's still wearing 'all that stuff.' " She turned to me and patted me on the cheek and said, "And you look really handsome, little brother."

I grinned and said, "Thanks, sis." Sam just rolled his eyes at me. She walked away and he said to me, "Kiss ass!"

I laughed and took off my jacket. Leah came over and said, "Ready to go?" I nodded and said, "You bet."

She looked over at Sam and smiled. "You looked very handsome today, Sam, all dressed up. But somehow, it's just not you. You look more comfortable now."

He looked over at me and grinned. "Thank you, Leah." Then he walked away to find Emily.

"Why don't you take your tie off and unbutton your shirt? You have to be dying with all of that on."

I smiled and said, "Great idea." I did just that, and took a deep breath. "I know it was important to Mom today that I look good, and come on, I look really good, but I don't think she understands the body temp of 108!" Leah laughed and shook her head at me.

She put her arms around me. "You do look really good. I'm having a hard time keeping my hands off of you!"

"Well, then don't," I said as I bent to put my lips on hers. I ran my hands down her back and over her ass. She felt so good.

"Hey! We have a party to get to. Get your hands off of her ass, and let's go!" Sam called.

I turned my head toward him and yelled, "Come on, bro! Give me a minute, will ya?"

"Yea, right. You're my brother. I know you. This is a church, Embry. You might at least want to take that outside?"

I laughed. He did know me. I had forgotten where I was. I was just thinking about finding someplace and having a little fun with Leah.

Leah turned red, and I laughed. "OK, let's go." I took her hand and led her outside toward the truck. Leah had let Seth take the Jeep, even though he wasn't technically supposed to drive without an adult. He was a really good driver, and we hoped he wouldn't get caught.

We all left the church and headed to Sue's for the reception. Everyone cheered when Mom and Dad walked in. They looked so happy. I had a hard time believing all of this was happening. My life had changed in such big ways in such a short time. Sometimes, I just had to stop and take it all in.

I looked around at all of the people. Everyone here meant so much to me. I was a really lucky guy. I hoped that I was about to get luckier.

Leah POV:

I was helping Mom with the food when Josh came up to me and said, "Leah? Can I talk to you for a minute?" I turned and said, "Sure."

He led me out of the kitchen into the living room to Angie. Embry was talking to her and they turned to us as we walked up. I gave Embry a curious look and he smiled at me nervously. _What's going on here? _I looked around and everyone had gotten quiet. Josh took my hand and said, "Leah, Angie and I just wanted to take a moment to thank you. None of this would have happened if it weren't for you coming to find me. We owe you so much. I owe you so much." He stopped for a second and cleared his throat. "I have my family back because of you. I am so thankful to have Sam back in my life." He looked over at Sam who nodded at him. "And I am getting to know the son I never knew I had." He looked over at Embry and smiled then turned back to me. "Leah, thank you, from the bottom of my heart." Then he drew me into a hug.

He let me go then it was Angie's turn to hug me. She whispered to me, "Thank you, Leah. This is the happiest day of my life." She let me go and I looked at the two of them. They were beaming.

I felt tears well up in my eyes as I said, "When I got the idea to look for you, I really never dreamed things would turn out like this. I was terrified that everyone would hate me!" They all laughed. "And for a while, it was rough." I glanced over at Sam and Embry reached out and took my hand. "But, I am really happy that everything worked out like it did. You two have each other, and Embry has a complete family."

Embry looked at me and said, "Well, almost complete." I smiled at him and wiped the tears from my eyes. Then I saw him pull a little velvet box out of his pocket and he got down on one knee and took my hand. _Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! _My eyes grew wide and my heart started racing. He looked up at me and smiled. "Leah, I can't believe how much you have changed my life. You helped me find my brother, and my dad, but the best thing you helped me find was love. I know the kind of guy I was before I found you, and you changed that. It took 42 times to find the right girl -number 43 turned out to be my lucky number!" He stopped and grinned and everyone laughed, including me. "You make me a better person. You make me happy. I love you so much, Leah, and I never want to live one day without you. Will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?"

I felt the tears run down my face as I nodded and said, "Yes. Hell yes!" He laughed and slipped the ring on my finger then picked me up and twirled me around while everyone clapped and cheered. He put me down and kissed me and whispered, "Thank you, baby."

I glanced over at Sam while Embry was holding me. I saw a bit of sadness pass over his face then he gave me a smile and put his arm around Emily. Embry let me go and I looked at the ring. It was old, I could tell, but very beautiful. Angie stepped up and said, "It was my mother's. I hope you don't mind. I saved it and wanted Embry to have it someday for the girl he wanted to marry."

I looked up at her and said, "It's beautiful, Angie. Thank you so much." She smiled and hugged me. It was a solitary square cut diamond on a wide silver band. It sparkled in the light and made my heart skip a beat. I couldn't believe this was really happening!

Josh came over and hugged me and said, "Welcome to the family, sweetheart."

"Thank you," I said softly.

Then I was bombarded with all of the girls in the room crushing forward to see the ring. Abby was all giggly, as usual, and Kim and Rachel oohed and aahed over it. Emily hugged me and said, "Now we can really be sisters!" When we were little, we always pretended we were sisters. I was really glad that we could put all of the bad stuff behind us and be just that.

Bella looked at the ring and got a far away look in her eye for a second then said, "It's really beautiful, Leah. Be happy, OK?" I nodded and said, "I already am." She smiled sadly and turned to Jake. I wondered what that was all about. He kissed her then he came over and picked me up into a bear hug.

"Congratulations!" he said as he set me down. "Man, Embry getting married. I can't believe it. Mr. Ladies' Man is settling down. But he found a good woman. I hope you guys are really happy. I love you both, and I hope you'll name your first born after me." He grinned his Jake grin.

I laughed. "Yea, OK. We'll name her Jakarina? Maybe Jakie Sue?"

He just laughed and hugged me. "I'm just so glad to see you happy, Leah. You really deserve it," he said into my ear.

"Thanks, Jake. I hope someday, you can be this happy."

He pulled back and I could see the twinkle in his eye. "I'm working on it."

Finally my mom came up and held out her hand. I put my left hand on her palm and she looked at the ring. "It's beautiful, honey. I'm so happy for you." She had a few tears in her eyes as she pulled me to her for a hug. "Are you OK with this, Mom?" I whispered.

She pulled away and said, "Yes, I really am. Embry is a good man. He'll be a good husband. And, he asked Seth for your hand in marriage. Ask him about it." I laughed and said, "I will."

While Embry was being congratulated and teased by all of the guys and Sam stepped up and pulled me in for a hug. "I am really happy for you, baby. You deserve this and so does my little brother," he said into my ear. "Be happy, Leah."

He let me go and touched me on the cheek and I said softly, "Thank you, Sam. I am." He smiled and walked away.

Embry came over and put his arm around my shoulders. "Do you really like it?"

I looked up at him. "Yes, it's gorgeous! But I like more what it represents. We are 'officially engaged' now! Oh Embry, that makes me really happy."

"Me, too, baby." He kissed me and Josh said, "OK, enough sentimental stuff. Let's cut that cake!" We all agreed and Angie got the photographer to follow her to the cake table we had set up. They cut the cake and posed for more pictures then I helped Emily cut the rest of the cake so everyone could have some.

The party went on for quite awhile then Josh announced that it was time to start the honeymoon. "Dad! Please! Do you have to put it like that?" Embry whined. Everyone laughed. They were leaving first thing in the morning for their week-long honeymoon. They were driving down the coast to California and back. I had a feeling they might be looking to see if the hotel where they had stayed all those years ago was still there. That would probably be their first stop.

Embry was staying at Sam and Emily's tonight to give his parents their privacy then he had the house to himself for the rest of the week. I really wanted to spend the whole night with him. I hoped I could find a way to make that happen.

Josh and Angie left and everyone pitched in to help clean up. Everyone left and it was just Mom, Embry, Seth, Abby and me. "Man, I wish you could drive on your own. I'm beat," Embry said to Seth. Someone had to go with him to take Abby home. It was too far to take the risk of him getting caught.

"Me, too!" Sue said. "I'm heading up to bed while I can still walk. Goodnight, all."

"Mom? Wait," Seth said. He went running over to her and whispered something to her. She looked back at us and then said something to him. He smiled and hugged her then came back over to us. She went on up the stairs.

He looked at Abby and said, "I asked my mom if you could just stay here because it's so late and she said yes! But, you have to call your mom and ask if it's OK, and Mom offered to talk to her to tell her it was alright with her."

Abby smiled nervously and asked, "Where would I sleep?"

"You can have my room and I'll crash here on the couch," he said.

"OK, I'll go call Mom," she said hesitantly. She walked toward the kitchen to make her call. I gave Seth a look.

"What? We're all tired. This way, none of us have to drive her home, and it gives her a night out of that place."

Embry and I kept looking at him and not saying anything. He looked between us and sighed. "Geez, I'm not like you guys! I'm not going to sneak upstairs and try to have sex with her."

"What do you mean 'I'm not like you guys?' What's that supposed to mean?" I asked him.

"Please. You guys are worse than Paul and Rachel! You think you're sneaking around but everyone knows you do it ALL the time!"

Embry cracked up at that. I gave him an angry look that shut him up. "We are not worse than Paul and Rachel! And we don't 'do it' ALL the time. Just some of the time," I added quietly.

Embry laughed again. "Come on, baby. You can't hide it. I mean, look at me! What girl could keep their hands off of all of this?"

Seth stood up and said, "You guys make me gag!" He walked toward the kitchen to check on Abby.

I looked at Embry and started laughing. "All of that? You are pretty fine," I told him.

He slid over closer to me and said, "You are beautiful, and I think we are getting as bad as Paul and Rachel." I laughed and smacked him on the arm. He put his lips on my neck then whispered, "Come stay with me tomorrow night."

I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of him kissing my neck. "I want to, more than anything," I whispered back.

"See? I think you guys just proved my point," Seth yelled at us as he walked back into the room. Embry laughed and pulled away.

"Well, if you think this is 'doing it,' maybe we need to have another sex talk," Embry drawled.

Seth just glared at Embry and said to Abby, "Come on, I'll show you where you can sleep."

"Wait," I called to Seth. "Abby, I'll get you something to sleep in." I said as I started for the stairs.

"Thanks, Leah," she replied. She followed me up the stairs and into my room. I closed the door and said, "Are you OK with this? You seem kind of quiet."

She sat down on the bed as I pulled some pajama pants out of the drawer. "Yea, I'm OK. I guess I'm trying to figure out why Seth wanted me to stay. You don't think he wants to . . ."

I smiled and sat down beside her. "No, I don't. Embry and I were going to lecture him about that when he told us in no uncertain terms that was NOT what he was planning. Why? Has he been pushing you?"

"No," she said right away. "No, Seth is . . . really great," she added with a sweet smile. "I like him a lot. More than I have ever liked any other boy. He treats me, well, really good. I like making out with him. He's a really good kisser, but he doesn't push me to do more like other boys do."

I smiled. "Good. I'm glad to hear that. You know, Embry did give him a sex talk. It embarrassed him to death, but, I guess I want you to know that Embry is keeping an eye on him. He wants to make sure Seth treats you right."

"Embry is really sweet. Did he tell you about driving me to Seattle to see my big brother?" I nodded. He had told me that. "I couldn't believe it! All of you . . . you treat me . . . you're just so nice to me." She put her head down and I could hear her crying.

I put my arm around her shoulder and said, "Aw, Abby. We like you. You're a sweet girl."

She brought her head up to look at me. "You all treat me better than my own mom. You guys worry about me and care about me. I'm not used to that."

She laid her head on my shoulder and I rested my chin on her head. How could her own mom treat her like that? Abby was such a good girl. Fun to be around, and smart. It made me want to go and beat the crap out of her mom. She sat up and wiped her face.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I did that," she said with her usual cute smile.

I smiled and said, "It's OK. Do you have any sisters?" She shook her head. "Me either. Maybe we could adopt each other as a sister. What do you think?"

She beamed that pretty Abby smile and said, "Yes! I would love to have you as my big sister!" Then she hugged me. Tight. Too tight!

"OK, sweetie, can't breathe!" I said and she let go.

She jumped up and said, "Thanks for the pajamas," and opened the door to find Seth waiting for her in the hall.

"Are you OK?" he asked. She put her arms around him and hugged him. "Yes, really OK." He looked at me with a curious look on his face and I smiled and mouthed, "She's fine." He nodded and pulled away to show her his room.

Just then, Embry stuck his head in the door. "Hey, fiancé, I'm getting a little lonely down there all be myself."

I smiled at him and got up and walked to him. I put my arms around his neck. "I'm so sorry I neglected you. Can you ever forgive me, fiancé?"

He pouted and said, "Maybe." I kissed him on his pouty lips and he said, "That's more like it." We kissed a little then he said, "I'm going to head over to Sam's. I really am beat."

I nodded and said, "Me, too." I followed him down the stairs to the door.

He kissed me one more time then said, "See you tomorrow, OK?" I nodded and he added, "Love you, baby."

"I love you, too."

He opened the door and headed out to his truck. I waved and closed the door and was headeingup to bed just as Seth was coming downstairs. He changed into some sleep pants and he was carrying a sheet and pillow.

"Abby get settled in alright?" I asked him. I followed him into the living room.

He walked over to the couch and threw the pillow down and shook out the sheet. "Yea. I tried to pick up my room real quick. You know, make sure there was no dirty underwear on the floor or anything."

I laughed at that. "Yea, that would be a little embarrassing."

He sat down on the couch and I sat down beside him and said, "Mom tells me that Embry came to you and asked for my hand in marriage."

He looked over at me and laughed. "Yea, he did. One night while you were at work, he came over and told me he wanted to talk to me. We sat here on the couch and he started in telling me how business has picked up for him and Jake thanks to my great idea about the flyers. I thought maybe he was going to offer me a job or something."

"Aw, I'm sorry," I said.

He smiled. "That's OK. Anyway, he told me his plan about the shop and now since things were going so well how they might move in sooner and he said that was great because then you two could get married sooner. Then he got all official and said, 'Seth, as the man of this family, I would like to ask you permission to officially propose to your sister.'" He said it in a deep "official-sounding" voice. I couldn't imagine Embry ever sounding that way.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"I told him no."

"What? Seth! Why would you do that?" I yelled at him.

He laughed and said, "Yea, that's the same reaction Embry had. I told him he didn't need my permission. I told him I knew how much he loved you and he would take care of you and so of course he could marry you. Then he said, 'That's not cool, dude.' " I laughed. That I could hear him say.

Seth went on, "And anyway, I really like having Embry around, you know? I mean, since Dad's been gone . . . " He stopped and hung his head for a moment. "It's been kind of hard not having a guy to talk to or hang around with. Someone I can ask about stuff I don't want to ask you or Mom about. He's really cool, and I . . . I guess I love him, you know?"

I felt tears sting my eyes as I said, "Yea, I know. He loves you, too. And it makes me happy to see how he looks out for you." Seth nodded.

I reached out and pulled him in for a hug. "Thanks, little brother. I love Embry so much, and I think he'll help make our family complete."

I let him go and he said, "Yea, me, too. Now go away. I'm tired and I want to sleep."

I smiled and got up. "OK. But just so you know, I'm making chocolate chip pancakes for you for breakfast."

He grinned. "Yes! Fucking awesome!" That's one thing he learned from Embry that he probably shouldn't have.

"Goodnight, little brother."

"Goodnight, sis."


	57. Chapter 56

CHAPTER 56

Embry POV:

I crashed at Sam's and I was out before my head hit the pillow! I woke up to Sam leaning over me saying, "Embry, sweetie, it's time to get up," in some stupid girly voice. I rolled over and put the pillow over my head. Then he laughed and said, "Hey! Do you want the kick in the ass again? Come on, bro, it's after eleven! Get your ass up!"

I threw the pillow off of my head and said, "Alright, already! I'll get up! Just go away with your cheery morning attitude. I hate that."

He really laughed at that and walked out the door. I sat up and wiped my eyes and looked out the window. The leaves on the trees had changed color and were starting to fall. It was the beginning of November and the snow would be here soon. I was actually looking forward to the holidays this year. Thanksgiving and Christmas had always been a little lonely for me and Mom. This year we had a family to celebrate with. How awesome was that?

I hauled my ass out of bed and headed for the shower. I got dressed and headed out to the kitchen for some breakfast.

"Good morning, sleepy head," Emily said.

"How can you be so cheery this morning? You should be exhausted after all the work you did for this wedding," I said to her.

"Oh I was tired. I came home and went right to sleep. I even slept in until nine! I never do that," she told me as she set a cup of coffee in front of me.

"Thanks," I grunted as I took a sip.

"You want some breakfast, little brother?"

"No. It's late enough, I'll just wait for lunch," I answered. I looked over at Emily and noticed how pretty she looked. I told her, "You know, you are even prettier since you got pregnant. There is something about you . . . you just look, so happy."

She beamed at me. "Why thank you! I feel so happy. I can feel the baby kick now. She was just kicking me a few minutes ago. Here," she said as she sat down beside me. "Give me your hand." I held out my hand and she put it on her baby belly. "Now wait," she said. We sat there for a few moments and all of a sudden I felt something move against my hand.

"Holy crap! That was the baby?" I exclaimed.

She laughed and said, "Yes, that was the baby."

I left my hand there and felt it again. "Wow, Emily. That is amazing." I was completely in awe. I had never felt that before. I never knew anyone who was pregnant before!

Just then Sam walked in and asked, "You feel the baby kick?"

I turned to him. "That is so amazing."

He chuckled. "Yea it is. She's pretty strong. Maybe we got another member of the pack, huh?"

Emily shot him a look that said she didn't care for that comment. I removed my hand and said, "So, I'm going to go and call my fiancé. Isn't that cool? I love saying that word."

Emily smiled at me. "Yes, it's very cool. So, when is the next wedding? I will have to get my cake books back out."

"Well, I'd run off and do it today, but we can't. I want to be able to support her. So, after I graduate in January, Jake and I are going to concentrate on the shop. Once we move in and things are going well then we'll plan the wedding."

"Sounds good. You're not as dumb as everyone says you are," Sam quipped then laughed at his own joke.

"Ha, ha. Who told you you were funny?" I asked with a smile. He tousled my hair and I stood up and dug my phone out of my pocket. I walked back to the bedroom I had used and sat down on the bed to call Leah.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Seth. Can I talk to my fiancé, please?"

"Yea, hold on," he answered. "Leah! It's some guy on the phone asking to talk to his fiancé. Should I hang up?" I heard him yell. I laughed.

She took the phone from him and said, "Hey fiancé. Good morning."

"Hey, baby. What are you doing?"

"I just finished cleaning up the kitchen. I made Seth chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. It was fun watching Abby see Seth eat like 20 pancakes."

"She doesn't understand the werewolf appetite, does she?"

"No, she doesn't. Her eyes were huge! It was great. So, what are you doing?"

"Me? I just got up. I showered and dressed, and oh yea! Emily let me feel the baby kick. That was fucking awesome!"

"It is, isn't it? She let me feel that yesterday. I can't wait for that."

"Really? Are you in a hurry to be a mom?"

"No, I want to finish school and stuff first. But, someday."

"Good. I want that, too."

It was quiet for a minute and I said, "Leah, come over to my house for dinner tonight. I'll even cook."

She laughed at that. "What, KFC or pizza?"

"I am insulted by your lack of confidence in my cooking ability."

"Maybe because I've never seen you cook anything." Well, she had a point there. Now that I thought about it, I can't think of the last time I DID cook anything.

"Well, there is a first time for everything, you know, and tonight I'm cooking you dinner."

"OK. I look forward to it! What time?"

"Um, come over around five."

"OK. See you then. I love you," she said softly.

"Love you, too. Bye." I hung up and looked at the phone. I stood up and walked down the hall. "Emily?" I hollered. "I need cooking help!"

Leah POV:

I was getting a little behind in my school work, so I decided to dedicate the afternoon to that. I didn't have to work again until Tuesday, so that would help. I had a paper due this next week and I hadn't even started it. I hunkered down at the kitchen table with my laptop and started my research.

"Hey, Leah," Abby said as she sat down at the table. _Well, looks like I won't be getting any research done now. _I closed my laptop and looked over at her. "Hey, Abby. You OK?"

"Um, yea. I guess I'm just wondering how long it will be before your mom makes you guys take me home," she said.

"Why would you think she would make you go home? She really likes you, Abby. We all do."

She brightened up a little at that. "I don't know. I guess . . . I just thought . . . my mom doesn't like me to have friends over. She doesn't even like _me _around most of the time."

"Abby, I'm so sorry. I wish you had it better at home. I know Seth hates it every time we have to drop you off there."

"It's not that bad," she said. "I mean, she doesn't hit me or anything . . . " her voice drifted off and she looked out toward the back door and got real quiet.

"Abby? Is everything OK there? I mean, maybe she doesn't hit you, but is there anything else going on . . ."

"No!" she said a little too quickly. "No. Um, I shouldn't have said anything. Seth went to take a shower, so I'll just wait in the living room."

She started to get up and I grabbed her hand and said, "Hey, we're sisters now, remember? You can talk to me about anything and I have to keep it just between us. Sister Rule."

She smiled and sat back down. "It's not my mom. It's . . . Jim, her boyfriend. He, um . . . " She wrapped her arms around herself, like she was trying to protect herself, "He's kind of weird. I don't like how he looks at me and sometimes, he says stuff . . . that makes me uncomfortable, you know? Like when I got dressed for the wedding, he looked at me and said, 'Your boobs look nice in that dress, baby.' Mom just laughed."

I closed my eyes for a second and wanted to really go over there and kick the shit out of both of them. _How did this sweet girl come from a mom like that? _I opened my eyes and took Abby's hand and looked at her and said, "Abby, that's not right, and you know it, don't you?" She nodded. "Has he ever . . . touched you?" I really hated to ask her, but I needed to know.

She started to tear up, and she said, "Um, the other night when Seth dropped me off, he, um, he asked me if I was 'getting any from this kid.' I told him it wasn't any of his business. But when I tried to walk by him to go to my room, he um, . . . he grabbed me and squeezed my boob and said, 'well, when you want a real man, just let know.' " Tears fell from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. "Then, he . . . kissed me and . . ." She couldn't go on and I didn't make her.

I squeezed her hand and said, "Abby, we have to get you out of there. Do you have any other relatives that live around here? Grandparents or an aunt or something? What about your father?"

She shook her head. "My grandma died last year, and she's the only other family I had besides my brother. And I can't live with him. I already asked him when we went to Seattle to see him last week. He told me he's on a ship for 6 months out of the year. And, I don't know where my father is. I never knew him, um, he left after I was born. I guess he was a drunk, like all her boyfriends."

I closed my eyes and willed myself to calm down. How can people treat their kids this way? "Look. I'm not letting you go back there while this Jim is living there. We will figure something out, OK?" I put my arms around her and let her cry a little.

Seth came into the kitchen and asked, "Hey, what's wrong? Abby? Are you OK?"

She sat up quickly and wiped her eyes then looked at me. I got the feeling she hadn't told Seth and maybe she didn't want him to know.

"Just some girl talk, Seth." I looked at Abby and said, "Why don't you go put some cold water on your face and you'll feel better, OK?" She nodded and got up to go to the bathroom.

Seth waited until she was out of the room. "What's wrong?" I sighed and sat back and rubbed my eyes. _What should I tell him? _"Leah, tell me. She doesn't want to go home, does she? She's afraid for some reason, but she won't tell me why."

"We can't let her stay there, Seth. It's not safe for her there anymore, but I'm not sure what to do. And I told her I wouldn't share what she told me with anyone, so you will have to wait for her to tell you. Sorry."

He nodded. I could see the hurt on his face. Hurt that she didn't trust him to tell him, and hurt for her for what she was going through. "She doesn't have any other relatives, and I don't want to go to Child Services because they will just put her in foster care, which might be worse. We have to find somewhere for her to stay." He nodded.

Abby walked back in and he smiled at her. "Hey. Wanna go downstairs and play a game of pool?"

She looked at me and I smiled and nodded. She smiled and said, "Sure." He took her hand and led her out of the kitchen. I sat there trying to decide what to do. I was way out of my element here. I knew I should talk to Mom, but she was at work in the ICU today, so she didn't like to have calls unless it was an emergency. This was kind of an emergency, but . . . maybe I should call Emily. She might know what to do.

I went to the phone and called her. "Hello?"

"Hey, Em. I have a problem that I really need help with. It's about Abby." I tried to tell her a little of what was going on without giving away everything. I didn't want to break Abby's confidence. "She can't stay there, but I don't know what to do."

"That sweet girl. I think we should sick the pack on them," she suggested.

I smiled. "Whoa, vicious. I like it! Well, that would scare them, but not solve our problem."

"Yea. OK. Let me think on it awhile and I'll get back to you."

"Thanks, Em. Love you."

"Aw, I love you, too, Leah. Talk to you soon." I hung up and hoped that she could come up with a solution.

Embry POV:

Emily sat me down and we went over a couple of simple ideas for dinner. She suggested spaghetti because it was the easiest to cook. She had canned her own spaghetti sauce this last summer when she had so many tomatoes from her garden so she got out a jar for me to take with me. Then she made a list for me of stuff to get at the store. "You can do this, Embry. And if you get stuck, call me, OK?"

I smiled and hugged her. "Thanks, Em. You're the best."

I left their house and went straight to the store. I bought the stuff on Em's list and added a bouquet of flowers. Leah deserved some flowers. I took the stuff home and put everything away and decided to clean the house a little bit. Especially my room. I was really hoping that dinner might lead to breakfast. So, I stripped my bed and decided to wash my sheets.

I walked into my room and looked at the bed. It was so tiny! How were we both going to fit into it? I thought about using Mom's room, but . . . after thinking about Mom and Dad spending their first married night together there, I quickly changed my mind. _Gross._

I pulled the sheets off of my bed and took them to the washer. I threw in some of my dirty clothes, too, that I had picked up off of the floor. _When was the last time I really cleaned my room? I have no idea. I guess that means it's been too long!_

I picked everything up off of the floor and found the vacuum cleaner in the hall closet and brought it in and swept the carpet. I even swept the hallway and living room before I put it back. Then I went through my room and put things away and made sure it was tidy. I opened the window for awhile so it would smell better. When the sheets were done, I put them back on the bed and added an extra pillow from the hall closet with a fresh pillow case on it. It looked kind of cozy. I threw my quilt over the end of the bed. I doubted we would need it with both of us carrying such high temps, but I like the way it looked.

I looked around the house and found some scented candles that Mom likes to use sometimes. I put them in my room and thought maybe they would add a nice atmosphere. I put the flowers in a vase and put them on my dresser. It looked pretty good!

I jumped in the shower to clean up then shaved. I wasn't sure what to wear. I wanted to look nice, but not too nice. Not like I was dressed up or anything. I decided on my black jeans. I remembered Leah saying one time that she really liked how I looked in them. Then I threw on a dark red v-neck t-shirt. _Nice._

Now comes the hard part. Cooking. I followed Emily directions and had the sauce heating and the spaghetti boiling. I had bought the salad in a bag, so that was easy. I dumped it into a big bowl and Emily told me not to add the dressing until right before we ate or it would get soggy. So, I set the bowl in the fridge.

Emily sent home with me an extra layer from the wedding cake that she didn't use for dessert. It was frosted and she added a couple of hearts on it with some chocolate curls. I rolled my eyes and she smiled. "What? Just trying to help you score some points, Embry." I laughed at that. She was the best. I had the cake sitting on the table so Leah would see it when we sat down to eat.

Everything was ready. Now all I needed was Leah.

Leah POV:

I spent the afternoon trying to figure out a solution to our Abby problem. It was getting close to time for me to leave and go to Embry's. I knew that would leave Seth and Abby home alone until Mom came home at 11:30 p.m. I didn't want to cancel dinner with Embry because he was so excited about it, but I wasn't sure what to do. Finally Emily called me back.

"Hey, Leah. Sam and I have done some talking, and after I got him to promise he wouldn't go over there and kill these people, he agreed that we should have Abby come and stay with us for awhile. I don't think it's a permanent solution, but it will get her out of there until we can figure something else out."

"Are you kidding me? Seriously? Emily, that's awesome! I can't thank you guys enough."

"Well, I hope she'll be comfortable with the idea. She doesn't know us very well. But, I know you guys don't have a room for her, and we do. Plus, I don't think she and Seth should live under the same roof at their age, do you?"

"No. I know Seth is being a good boy, but he is a werewolf, and I don't know how long he can hold back. I'm hoping because he's young, it will be awhile."

"Me, too. OK, well, talk to her about it and let me know. I have the room ready whenever she wants to come over. Sam said he would go with her and Seth to get her things. "

"I'll tell them. Thanks again, Em. You're the best."

"Hmmm, that's the second time someone has told me that today."

"Really? Then it must be true."

She laughed. "Embry told me that today when he came running begging me for cooking help. I hope you enjoy your dinner tonight!"

"Thanks for helping him. I was a little worried about what I was going to get. I thought it might be some weird concoction like Pop-Tart Casserole or something."

That really made her laugh. "Well, I'm glad I saved you from that. I'll wait to hear from you about Abby, OK?"

"Yea, I'll get right back to you. Bye." I hung up and went to find Seth and Abby.

They were in the living room watching a movie on TV. They were curled up on the couch, and Seth had his arm around her and she had her head on his shoulder. I walked in and sat down in the chair. "Hey, guys. Can I talk to you for a sec?"

They looked over and Seth stopped the movie with the remote. "Sure. What's up?" Seth asked.

"Um, Abby. You know our little chat this morning? I might have a solution for you. I need to talk to you about it. Is it OK if we talk in front of Seth, or should we go upstairs?" She sat there quietly then looked over at Seth. I knew she wanted him to know, but for some reason she was afraid.

"We don't have to go into details, but it's about some different living arrangements for you." Seth whipped his head toward me and said, "What? You found a way to get her out of there?"

I nodded. She said, "It's OK." Seth looked at her and smiled and then they both looked at me.

"I talked to Emily and she talked to Sam, and they would both love for you to stay with them for awhile. You would have your own room, and they would make sure you had a ride to school every day. Sam said that he would go with you and Seth to get your things. And Emily has made him promise to behave, but he will be there to protect you while you pack. I know that you don't know them very well, but I have to tell you that they are two of the greatest people you will ever know. Emily is a mom to everyone - she is so loving and caring. I know you would love being around her. And Sam has a foul mouth sometimes, but he has a huge heart. I really think you would like it there. And we all hang out there, so Seth would be over all the time, and you can still come here and hang out, too. Do you think that is something you would be open to?"

She looked so fragile, like she would crumble at any moment. Seth pulled her closer to him and said softly, "Please, Abby? I can't stand you living there anymore. I worry about you so much. I know that Sam and Emily would watch out for you and you would be really happy there."

She looked at us and said, "I can't believe they would do this for me. They don't even know me! Why would they do this?"

"Because of who they are. And because you need a safe place to stay, and they have room. It's that simple," I told her.

"That's really nice of them. I think I would like to try it," she said slowly. Seth smiled and hugged her.

"Abby, do you think your mom will cause a fuss about you moving out?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No. She'll probably be glad. She hates the way Jim looks at me. I guess it makes her jealous or something." I could see the anger immediately in Seth's face. I put my hand on his arm and he looked at me. I gave him a look that told him to calm down. Abby didn't need that right now.

"OK. Well, I'll call Emily and tell her it's a go. Sam will come over and pick you guys up and take you to get your things. I would go, too, but my fiancé is cooking me dinner tonight and I have to go and get ready." I stood up and smiled at Abby. "You're doing the right thing, Abby. I'm proud of you."

She stood up and hugged me. "Thank you so much, Leah. " I hugged her and then she let go. She wiped tears from her eyes as Seth said, "Yea, sis. Thanks."

"You're both welcome." I turned to go back to the kitchen to call Emily. She was happy that Abby had said yes, and she told me to tell them that Sam would be over in about a half hour to get them. I thanked her again and hung up then went to tell Seth and Abby what she said. Then I ran upstairs to get ready for my big date!

I stood at the closet trying to figure out what to wear. I didn't think it was a dress occasion, so I pulled out the jeans that Embry liked on me so much and pulled on a tight fitting shirt that showed just a little cleavage. Yep, he would like that.

I brushed my hair until it shone and added some earrings and a just a touch of eye shadow, mascara and lip gloss. I checked myself in the mirror and decided I actually looked really nice. I smiled and picked up my purse and keys and headed downstairs.

"OK, you two. I'm heading over to Embry's. You have his cell number and I want you to call me if you have any trouble, OK? Although I'm sure that Sam will take care of you just fine." I walked over to Abby and said, "You'll be fine, I promise. Emily will spoil you terribly. She always does when Embry stays there." She smiled at me. "Speaking of Embry, I have to go! Bye!"

They both hollered goodbye as I walked out the door. I hurried to the Jeep and took off. I was excited at the thought of being with Embry all alone.

Embry POV:

It was five and I was pacing. Yes, I was pacing! _Where was she? Why wasn't she here yet? I didn't want my spaghetti to get too mushy! _Just then the door opened and there she was. I smiled as I noticed she was wearing her tight jeans that I really liked and a shirt that showed cleavage! _Oh yea. _She walked over to me and said, "Wow. Something smells really good!"

"That would be me, "I said with a sly smile. She laughed as I pulled her to me in a hug. I noticed she sniffed me and then she said, "Mmmm, you do smell good!" I kissed her long and slow and then let her go.

"What's for dinner? I was figuring maybe a Pop-Tart Casserole?" she said with a smile.

"Ha, ha. I made spaghetti and a salad and there is cake for dessert."

"No way! She went over to look on the stove. "Wow, you did cook. Awwww, that's so sweet! And look at this cake. Hmmmm, it looks just like the ones I helped Emily make for your mom and dad's wedding," she turned and said suspiciously.

"OK, you got me on that one. Emily said she wanted to help me score some points."

She laughed and said, "You don't need to worry about that. You already got me. See?" She held up her left hand and flashed her engagement ring at me. "This says I'm yours, baby."

I pulled her close and said, "And I am really glad about that." I kissed her again then remembered my dinner. "Hey! Quit distracting me!" She laughed as I pulled the spaghetti off of the stove and drained it. "Have a seat and I will serve you."

She pulled out a chair and sat down and I put some spaghetti on her plate then added the sauce. I had put the dressing on the salad right before she got there, so I put the bowl on the table and poured her a glass of iced tea. I got myself a plate and sat down.

"This is really nice, Embry. Thank you so much for doing this," she said.

"Well, don't thank me until you taste it," I told her. I handed her the parmesan cheese and she shook some on top of her spaghetti. She took a big bite of spaghetti. "It's good!" she told me. She chewed and swallowed then said, "Hey! The first meal I ever cooked for you was spaghetti and meatballs. Remember?"

I smiled. "Yea, I do. I was so nervous that night. I was like Seth trying to decide what to wear and worried my hair was too long, and I put on cologne. But, I did get to kiss you, so I guess it was worth it." She smiled at that memory.

While we ate, she filled me in on what was going on with Abby. She told me she couldn't go into detail because she promised Abby, but she let me know it was dangerous for her to stay there.

"Yea, I got that feeling something wasn't right there," I told her.

Then she told me that Sam and Emily were going to take her in. "Really? Wow. That's great!" I could see Emily insisting she stay there, but I was a little surprised at Sam. I knew he was a good guy, but it still surprised me a little.

"I told them to call on your cell if there was any trouble, but I assured them Sam would take care of them."

I nodded. "I hope he doesn't kill anyone."

She smiled and said, "Yea, I thought that, too. Although after what Abby told me today, I think I would let him. I thought about kicking the shit out of both of them." _That's my woman_, I thought with pride.

We finished our dinner and I asked, "Do you want some dessert now, or do you want to wait until later?"

"Um, I want dessert now, but cake later," she said with a sexy smile. _God, I love this woman._

I smiled and said, "Well, we have to clean up the kitchen first then I'll think about your dessert."

"Fine," she said. I reached up on top of the refrigerator and flipped on the radio. I always worked faster with music on. It was set on the station that Mom listened to, so it wasn't the head-banging kind of music I was used to. We cleared the table and did the dishes in record time. A slow song came on the radio just as we were finishing, and I took the dish towel out of her hand and said, "Come dance with me."

She smiled. "I would love to." She wound her arms around my neck and I put my hands on her hips. We swayed to the music a little then I pulled her closer and she laid her head on my shoulder. We didn't do this enough. I loved holding her and moving to the music. The song ended and I whispered to her, "Are you ready for dessert?"

She looked at me and said, "Yes, please."


	58. Chapter 57

CHAPTER 57

Embry POV:

This is the moment that I had been waiting for all day. I smiled at her and said, "Wait here until I come and get you." She looked at me curiously, but nodded.

I ran back to my room and lit the candles. I liked the soft glow they gave. I pulled back the sheet and fluffed the pillows. It looked really nice. I walked back out to Leah and scooped her up into my arms and carried her to my room.

"Wow! This is awesome," she said with a gorgeous smile. "I can't believe you did all of this just for me."

She looked at me and I told her, "I want you to know how much you mean to me. I wanted us to have a really nice night, just the two of us." I kissed her gently on the lips then I set her on her feet. I took her face in my hands and said, "I love you, baby. I want to show you just how much." I put my lips to hers and ran my hands down her body then pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around me and sighed. We stood there and kissed for a little while then she stepped back and pulled her shirt off over her head and shook out her hair. I smiled and pulled my t-shirt over my head and threw it on the floor. I pulled her back to me and ran my hands over her back as I kissed her. I didn't want to rush anything. I wanted us to take our time. I left her lips and put a trail of kisses on her throat and neck. She sighed and I ran my hands down over her ass. I loved how these jeans made her look, but all I could think of now was getting them off of her. I put my lips back on hers and let my hands drift to the waistband of her jeans. I had them unbuttoned and unzipped and moved them down her hips in no time. She even wiggled a little to help me slide them down.

I felt her hands unzip my pants and linger a little over the zipper. _Oh, she really knew how to get me going. _I helped her pull them off and I stepped out of them. I laid her back on the bed and moved to lay beside her. It was a snug fit, but I didn't care. I wanted to be close to her. I was trying so hard to hold back and take my time. I knew there was no rush, but it was hard once we got going. She was running her hands all over the right places, and kissing me with such passion. I had her bra off and was doing the same for her. We kissed and touched and drove each other to the point where we couldn't wait any longer. Our underwear had disappeared and we were lying there with nothing in between us to stop us. I rolled over on top of her and looked down. This was when she was her most beautiful. Her dark eyes were black with desire and her hair was splayed out behind her head like a halo. I smiled at her as I entered her and her eyes closed and she arched her back and wrapped her legs around me. I could never get enough of this feeling. I moved and she moved with me in unison until we were spent and breathless. I whispered, "I can never get enough of you, Leah. I love you."

"Mmmmm, I love you, too, baby. So much. And I love feeling this way with you."

I kissed her and rolled to the side, and immediately fell off of the bed! I heard her laughter first then she peeked over the side of the bed and said, "Oh Embry! Are you OK?"

I laughed as I lay on my back looking up at her. "Yea. Here I was feeling so smooth, giving you such a romantic evening. When we get married, we are getting a much bigger bed."

She laughed at that. "Agreed!"

I pulled myself up and back onto the bed. She sat up so I could put my arm around her then she snuggled into my side. "I've been looking forward to this all day," I said.

"Mmmmm, me, too." We lay there for awhile just soaking up the moment. She wondered out loud how Abby was settling in at Sam and Emily's. "I hope she didn't have any trouble getting her things."

"Sam and Seth will take care of her," I said lazily.

"Yea. I'll call her later and make sure she's OK. She was quiet for awhile again then she said, "Embry, I've been wondering. What made you decide to propose to me at your parent's wedding party? I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved it, but I was just wondering."

"Well, I wasn't really planning it that way. The way I was planning on doing it, was right here, in bed. This is always my very favorite time with you. I feel like, all is right with the world, and so I wanted to do it then."

She sat up and looked at me. "Wow. I feel that way, too. I would have loved that. What changed your mind."

"Mom. She was going through her jewelry box looking for those pearl earrings of her mom's that she wanted to wear for the wedding. She came across the ring and she called me into her room. She told me that she had been saving it for me to give to the girl I wanted to marry. I was blown away when I looked at it! I mean, it's really big, and it's really pretty! I was hoping you would like it, too."

"I do! I love it," she said as she held it out and looked at it.

"So, Mom asked if I would like her to hold on to it, or was I ready to give it to you. I thought about saving it for Christmas, but I knew I wanted you to have it right away. I mean, you know I want to marry you. I tell you all the time!" She smiled. "I took it and told her I would have to ask Seth for your hand. She told me that was only proper. And then, I don't know. I guess I knew how much it meant to my mom for you to have the ring, and I thought maybe she would like to be included. I just hoped you wouldn't be mad because I did it in front of everyone. They all mean so much to us, and . . ."

She stopped me with a kiss. "I wasn't mad. I'm not mad. You're right. Your mom was glowing and my mom was crying. It was right to include them all." Then she looked down at the ring and said, "But, maybe we could have it our way, too." She took the ring off of her finger and handed it to me.

I smiled at her and nodded then I reached out and set the ring on my dresser. She looked at me curiously and asked, "What are you doing?"

I smiled. "Well, if we are going to do it like I planned then we are going to do it in the order that I planned." I reached for her and she smiled and said, "Yes, sir."

Much later, as we lay there in the afterglow, I reached over and grabbed the ring. I sat up and looked at her and said, "Leah, since the very first time I kissed you in the water, I knew there was something special between us. It took you a little longer to figure that out, but I'm glad you finally did." She gave a little laugh. "I think that we are meant to be together, whether you want to call it imprinting, or us being drawn together. I don't care. I just know that I want to spend the rest of my life taking care of you, making you happy and loving you. That's all I want. You are everything to me, and I don't want to live one single day of my life without you." I held out the ring to her. "Will you marry me?"

I could see tears in her eyes as she looked at me and said softly, "Oh, Embry. You brought me out of such a dark place and into the sunshine. You helped me to live again and I owe you so much. I want to spend every day of my life making you happy and loving you. I want to marry you and have babies with you! I love you so much. Yes, yes, yes! I will marry you!"

I grinned as I slid the ring on her finger and then pulled her into my arms. "That was perfect," I whispered. "Just like I hoped it would be."

She kissed me and whispered, "Just like our lives will be. Perfect."

Leah POV:

After Embry's beautiful proposal, he decided it was time for cake. He told me to stay put, and he ran out into the kitchen and brought back the cake with two forks. We sat wrapped in the sheets on his bed eating cake. "Oh, man, this is good," he said.

"Mmmm, hmmmm. I hope you don't mind cake crumbs in your bed," I told him.

He laughed and said, "I just washed the sheets, too!"

"I noticed your room looks pretty spiffy. You cleaned it up just for tonight, didn't you?"

"Well, it's hard to be romantic with a pile of dirty laundry on the floor and crap laying everywhere."

"The candles are a very nice touch. I love the way it looks in here with the candlelight." I dug my fork in for another bite. "Who knew you were such a romantic?"

"You bring it out of me, baby." He took another big bite of cake. I smiled. Just then his phone rang. "Should I answer it?"

I nodded. "It might be Seth or Abby."

H e picked it up and said, "Hello? Hey, Abby. Everything OK? Yea, sure. Hang on." He covered the phone and said, "She wants to talk to you." He handed it over to me.

"Hi Abby. You OK?"

"Yes. I didn't mean to bother you, but I just wanted to thank you for helping me. Sam took me and Seth to get my stuff. Jim was there and he was drunk and he tried to tell Sam that I wasn't going anywhere. But Sam hit him right in the nose and he fell over onto the couch! Sam planted himself in front of him and told him to sit down and shut up then told me and Seth to go and pack up my stuff. We packed up as much as we could and took it out to the car. Mom came home just as I was leaving. I told her I was going to live with some friends for awhile." She stopped and I heard her sniff. "Um, she told me she wasn't going to give them any money to take care of me. Seth told her that wouldn't be a problem. She said, 'OK, kid. See ya around.' Can you believe that? She didn't even ask where they lived or anything." I heard her crying, and Seth in the background telling it to stop, she was OK now. She came back on. "Then Sam brought us here. I have my own room upstairs and it's so big! I love the bed and the quilts, and I have a closet. Emily is the best. She is so nice and . . . thank you, Leah. Thank you so much."

I couldn't help but smile. "You are very welcome, Abby. I'll come over after you get out of school tomorrow and see you, OK?"

"Yes. That would be great, Leah," she said a little more brightly. "Um, I'll let you go. See you tomorrow!"

"Bye, Abby." I closed the phone and handed back to Embry.

"I take it everything went well?" he asked.

"Yes. I guess her mom's boyfriend tried to start some trouble, but Sam decked him then told him to sit down and shut up. Abby and Seth packed everything up and Sam took them home. She is very excited about having the room upstairs to herself."

He put the cake plate and forks on the floor. He smiled and pulled me to him. "You are really sweet to do this for Abby. You seem to be good at knowing what people need."

"Really?"

"Yea, I mean, you knew I needed a brother, so you scheduled DNA tests to find mine. You knew I needed my dad, so you went out and found him. I mean, sometimes you jump into things without thinking, but, it seems to always work out." He kissed me on top of my head. "And, even though I can't believe I'm going to say this, I guess you knew what . . . Josiah needed, too."

I sat up and looked at him. "What?"

"You . . . gave him some human kindness. Probably the last he'll have in a very long time. I still I hate the guy, but I guess I can kind of see why it happened."

I smiled at him. "Wow. Look at you, all grown up." I leaned in and kissed him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and said, "Thank you for that. I think I want to marry you."

"Really? That's too bad, baby. I'm already taken," he teased.

"You bet your ass you are," I told him. He laughed as I kissed him.

We spent our time together just chatting, and teasing each other. We even talked a little about what kind of wedding we wanted. "I really liked Sam and Emily's wedding. It was just simple and beautiful."

"Yea, it was nice. I really don't want anything too fancy. I'd be happy if it was just you and me on a hilltop somewhere."

I smiled at that. "Or what about getting married outside at night, under the stars with a full moon rising. That would be really cool."

"I don't care how or where. Just as long as it happens," Embry told me.

I glanced at the clock. It was almost midnight. "Um, here's my plan for staying with you tonight. I'm going to run the Jeep home and go up to bed. I'll close the door and sneak out the window and come back. Mom will sleep late in the morning because she worked late tonight, and Seth won't check if I'm in my room before he goes to school."

"I hate that you have to sneak around. We are engaged, you know."

"I know that. But, I don't know. I don't want to set a bad example for Seth."

"Are we being bad?" Embry asked with a sly smile.

"Really bad." I smiled back and kissed him. Then I crawled over him and started putting on my clothes. He just laid there and watched. I grabbed my shoes and said, "I'll be back." I bent down and kissed him.

"I'll be waiting, baby." I smiled and walked out of the bedroom. I slipped on my shoes and picked up my purse and keys. I hated sneaking around, but I really wanted to sleep with him all night. I smiled and hurried out the door.

Being a werewolf had certain advantages. Like being able to leap out of a second story window and land without breaking anything! And running at great speeds and distances. I was back at Embry's in no time. I went up the front steps and opened the door and locked it behind me. I slipped off my shoes and left them by the door then made my way back to Embry's room. I stopped at the door and smiled. He was sprawled out on the bed, sound asleep. I walked in and took off my clothes then picked up his t-shirt and slipped it on. I leaned down and said in his ear, "Embry, baby. I'm back."

He snorted and turned his head. I rolled my eyes and put my hand on his shoulder and shook him. "Embry!" I said louder. "Move over!" He grabbed me and pulled me down on top of him, laughing at me while I screamed.

"You ass! You were awake?" I said.

"You think I wouldn't notice a naked girl in my room? Please." He rolled me to the side of him and kissed me. "I missed you," he whispered. Then he proceeded to show me how much.

Embry POV:

I woke up and tried to stretch, but I couldn't feel my arm. I opened my eyes and squinted as the sun was already shining in the window_. Shit, that means I am late for school_. I looked over and saw Leah laying on my arm. I smiled and thought, _to hell with school. _I leaned toward her and kissed her. Her eyelids fluttered then opened. She smiled at me and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. This was something I had been dreaming of for months. I kissed her again and held her close to me. "Good morning, fiancé," I whispered.

"Mmmm, good morning, fiancé," she replied. She wrapped herself around me and I made another of my fantasies come true.

While we lay there trying to catch our breath, I said, "I always wanted to wake up and do that first thing in the morning. Man, that was awesome."

She smiled and said, "Oh yea it was. But, you're late for school."

I laughed. "I can't believe you just said that! I just woke up and had sex with the girl I'm going to marry, and she tells me I'm late for school!" I was laughing really hard now. "That just doesn't make sense! Am I still asleep and dreaming? Are you really here?" She pinched me. "Ow!" I yelled.

She laughed and said, "Yes I am really here! Now, get your ass to school and graduate so I don't feel like I'm robbing the cradle!"

I was laughing so hard I fell out of bed. She stepped over me and went to use the bathroom. I finally got control of myself and looked at the clock. Oh man. I would miss Trig, but I could make it for second period. I would be so glad to get out of that fucking school!

I got up and made my way to the bathroom just as Leah was coming out. "Want to shower with me, baby?" I asked in my sexiest werewolf voice.

She smiled and leaned against me and said, "I would love to, but then you would never get to school. Maybe we can do that later tonight?"

"You promise?" I asked.

She nodded and kissed me then walked back to my room. I took a deep breath and went into the bathroom to shower. I showered, brushed my teeth then walked back to my room naked to get some clothes. I found Leah lying on my bed in my t-shirt sleeping. I smiled and tried to take a mental picture of that.

I pulled open my dresser drawers and got out a clean pair of boxers and a t-shirt and picked up my jeans off of the floor. I dressed and then leaned down and kissed Leah on the forehead. "Goodbye, sleepy head. See you later," I whispered. She sighed and went on sleeping.

I picked up my book bag and keys and forced myself to leave for school.

The rest of the week went way too quickly. I went to school during the day and worked with Jake after, while Leah went home and did her schoolwork or went to work. We would meet at my house as soon as we could and we spent most of our time making love. In my bed, in the shower, on the couch . . . it was like we were on our own little honeymoon. I couldn't ever get enough of her! She cooked for me, or we ordered pizza. She helped me with my homework so I wouldn't get behind again. I was counting down the weeks. Seven more weeks of school, and I was done. I was more than ready!

On our last night together, we made a bed out of blankets on the living room floor. She was wearing one of my t-shirts, which she had taken to doing the whole time she was here, and I was in a pair of gym shorts. We were watching a movie on the TV and I looked over at Leah and said, "I don't want this to end."

She smiled and said, "It won't. This is only the beginning. When we get married, it will be like this again."

I smiled back. "I know. I always feel like I'm waiting. I just want the waiting to be over."

"Me, too."

I leaned over and kissed her. "Tomorrow we go back to living separately again. And I start living here with my mom AND my dad. That's going to be very strange."

"I think it's cool. Have they heard anything on the other house, yet?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Dad said he would call again when he got home. It's a much bigger house, but it needs some work. Dad wants to try and get a really good price on it so he'll have money left for the materials he'll need to fix it up. I guess that's the hold up. The guy is haggling over the price."

"So what will happen to this house?"

I shrugged. "Mom just rents this house. I guess the landlord will rent it to someone else."

She nodded then got quiet. I turned my attention back to the movie. We fell asleep there on the floor and slept until almost dawn. Then I woke up and started kissing Leah to wake her so we could make love one more time before she had to go. It was really slow and kind of . . . beautiful. Afterward I looked down at her and smiled. She had tears in her eyes. "Baby, are you OK?" I asked her anxiously.

She gave me a brilliant smile and said, "Yes, Embry. That was beautiful. I love you so much."

I kissed her and said, "I love you, too." We held onto each other for as long as we could. Then I got up and went to the bathroom to shower. When I came out, the blankets were all folded and put away and the pillows were back on the bed and Leah was dressed.

"I made coffee," she told me as she got up from the bed.

"Yea, I smell it. Thanks." She went to walk past me and I reached out and pulled her to me. I kissed her gently on the lips.

She broke into a smile and hugged me. I let her go and she walked to the kitchen. I got dressed and joined her. She was scrambling eggs as I walked in and grabbed the coffee pot and poured myself a cup. "Sit down. Your eggs are almost ready," she said.

"Geez, you really have me spoiled, you know it? You have set a very dangerous precedent."

She laughed as she put a plate of eggs in front of me. "I know. Don't expect this every morning when we get married." She got a plate for herself and then put some toast on both of our plates. She sat down and picked up her knife to butter her toast. "I'm sure Seth is wondering why I haven't gotten up and cooked his breakfast this week."

"You do this for Seth?" I asked.

"Not every morning. Two or three times a week, maybe. "

"Man, he's a lucky kid."

"Well, he's my little brother. I guess I do spoil him a little."

"A little?"

She laughed. "OK, a lot!"

While we ate breakfast, I asked, "Leah? I know you promised Abby not to say anything about what you talked about. But, it has to do with that asshole that lives there with her mom, doesn't it?" She had just taken a bite of her eggs, so she just nodded. "Did he . . . do something to her? I mean, man . . . is she OK?"

She smiled and put her fork down. "I'm not sure exactly what all happened. She just told me about him saying some vulgar things to her and I guess he grabbed her the other night and . . . she told me that he 'squeezed her boob' and kissed her, then she stopped and I couldn't make her go on."

I felt rage run through me instantly at this guy. "God, I hate that! What kind of fucking asshole does something like that to a cute kid like Abby? I think we should pay him a visit with the pack."

She smiled and said, "That's funny. That's what Emily suggested." That made me calm down and smile a little. Leah put her hand on my arm. "Look, I figured the best thing was to get her out of there and we did that. They don't even know where she's staying. Abby told me last night her mom didn't even ask where they lived. So, I think she's safe now, and that's what matters." I nodded. She was right. Abby was safe.

I finished my eggs and I finally got up and said, "I gotta go." I put on my shoes and picked up my book bag and keys. I walked back over to Leah, who was standing by the sink. I put my arms around her and kissed her. "See you later tonight?"

"I have to work until around eight," she told me. I nodded. "Come to the restaurant tonight. I'll save you some pie."

I smiled. "You know I never turn down pie."

"Yea, I know. Bring Seth, too. I kind of miss him."

I smiled and told her I would. I hugged her to me and kissed her again. "OK, I gotta go! Quil will be pissed if we are late again! See ya, baby."

"Bye!" she called after me. I took one more look at her then I walked out and headed to school.


	59. Chapter 58

CHAPTER 58

Leah POV:

Emily insisted on having Thanksgiving. It would the first for Sam and Embry as family, and the first with their dad. It was really important to her to make it special. Sam was throwing a fit because she was seven months pregnant and he didn't want her to overdo it. So, Mom, Angie, Abby and I insisted on helping and she actually accepted.

So, Embry, Seth and I were here on the day before to help clean and do whatever we could ahead of time. Emily set the guys out to wash all of the windows, as it was actually a warm fall day for this late in November. And they raked leaves and cleaned the gutters . . . I think she just wanted Sam out of the house so he would quit following her around telling her to take it easy. "I know he loves me, but he is driving me crazy!" Emily told us.

Abby and I were on bathroom detail. I didn't mind, because I was used to it at home. Abby did anything that Emily asked her to, and some things she didn't. Her room was spotless, and she did all of her own laundry. She was so worried about being a burden to them. She loved living here with them and she wasn't going to give them any reason to make her leave.

She was scrubbing the shower while I worked on the toilet and vanity. "You're really happy here, aren't you, Abby?"

"Yes! I love it here. I wish I could always stay here, but, I know I can't." I couldn't see her face, but I could hear the fear in her voice.

"Why do you say that? Emily hasn't said anything about asking you to leave," I told her.

She had just finished the tub so she stood up to face me. "Yea, but with the baby coming, I figure they won't want me in the way. And they can't afford to feed me and stuff."

"Oh Abby. I'm sure that Emily will love having help with the baby. Sam is going to start working with his Dad, so she'll need an extra pair of hands, I'm sure. And you hardly eat enough to feed a bird."

She smiled at that. "I don't want to leave, but . . . I don't want to burden them."

"You're not a burden, Abby. How many times do I have to say it?" Emily said from the door. She walked in and put her arm around Abby's shoulder. "I love you, sweetheart. I'd miss you too much if you left."

I smiled at Emily. Abby just melted. She needed so desperately to be loved, and Emily did love her. We all did. It was hard not to.

"OK, enough of this. Back to work!" Emily said with a smile.

"Sure, slave driver!" I called to her. I looked at Abby and smiled. She gave me a brilliant Abby smile then we went back to work.

Later, we all took a break to eat some dinner. Emily had managed to cook a big pot of chili while we all were cleaning, and Seth had just come in to tell us that Sam had a fire built in the pit out back so we could roast hot dogs. "Where's Abby?" he asked me.

"She went upstairs to clean up and change clothes," I told him. He nodded and headed for the stairs. "Uh, where do you think you're going?" I called to him.

He stopped on the stairs and said, "To see Abby."

"I just told you she was changing. You can wait down here," I scolded.

He stood there defiantly and said, "Would Embry sit and wait for you?"

"Are you kidding me? We are engaged, Seth. You two are only 16. I thought we talked about this?"

"Embry and I talked about this." He turned and walked back down the stairs. "I thought you were going to stop treating me like a baby. I was going to knock on her door and ask if she was finished changing. I wasn't going to barge in and rape her. God, Leah! I'm sick of you treating me like I'm some creep who only wants to jump her bones. I care about Abby, OK? I am not on some mission to get laid." He stalked past me and went down the hall out the back door, which he slammed to make his point.

Emily walked up behind me and said, "You do hover a little too close sometimes."

I turned and looked at her. _She was right. I did. Embry was always telling me that. Why did I do that? _"I know. I don't know why I do it. I know he's growing up. I know he's a good kid and he's not going to hurt Abby. It's this wolf thing. I'm worried about him being too aggressive with her, and I know with what she has been through, she doesn't need that right now. And I guess I'm a little worried about him falling in love at 16."

Emily smiled. "You know, Leah, you'll be a good mom someday. You've mothered Seth your whole life! But it's time to back off a little now and let him live his life. You can still keep an eye on him, but not so close. Be his sister, not his mom, OK?"

I smiled at her then heard Embry say behind me, "Great advice, sis. Wish I'd thought of that. Oh wait, I think I told you the same thing."

I turned around and gave him a look. "OK, OK, I get it! I'll back off!"

He grinned and bent down and kissed me on the head. "Yea, right." He reached over and snagged a handful of chips and put a couple in his mouth.

"So Seth is out there pouting, is he?" I asked him.

He laughed. "Uh, no, but his cussing is coming along quite nicely." I raised my eyebrows at that.

Just then, Abby came down the stairs and made her way over to us. "I feel better! I'm starving and the chili smells really good," she said to Emily.

"Hey, we built a fire so we can roast hot dogs. You may want to grab a sweatshirt or something. It's getting cooler out," Embry told her. She nodded and ran back upstairs. He turned to me and said with a smile, "She's so cute."

Emily laughed and added, "She really is. I've become quite fond of her. Even Sam is getting used to having her around."

Abby came bouncing back down the stairs with a hoodie on and said, "I'm going out back to find Seth." Emily called, "OK!"as Abby ran down the hall toward the back door.

Just then, Josh and Angie walked in. "I wanted to go ahead and bring the pies over now so I would have less to carry in tomorrow. I hope that's OK," Angie told Emily.

"Of course! You're just in time for some chili," Emily told them.

Emily, Embry and I carried the chili and other food outside and put it on a table on the back porch. We roasted hot dogs and ate chili and just enjoyed sitting around the fire and talking. Josh told us that he was now a licensed contractor and he already had his first job! He was going to be working at Quil's house, putting in a new bathroom. Quil's mom had been wanting another bathroom put into the house and Quil told her about Josh, so she hired him. He was hoping that word of mouth would help him get another job when he was finished with this one. Sam was going to work with him. I wondered how that would work out. They actually were getting along pretty well now. I think Sam was finally putting the past in the past.

I know he was doing that with us. He was keeping to his word and treating me like a sister, nothing else. That made me sad and happy at the same time. I would always feel something for Sam, I couldn't help that. But he had a beautiful wife and a daughter on the way who needed his undivided attention. And I was lucky enough to have Embry, who deserved all of my love and attention.

He put his arm around my shoulder as he told some funny story about him and Jake as kids. I loved when he told those stories. Everyone around the fire laughed with Embry . . . except Josh. I happened to look over and catch the sadness on his face. So did Angie. She reached over and took his hand. I knew he hated that he missed out on Embry's childhood. But then, I saw something else. An exchange of looks between them, and Angie slowly moving their joined hands over her stomach . . . _oh my God, Angie's pregnant! Why hadn't they told anyone? Maybe she's not sure yet, and she wants to wait until she sees a doctor. How will Embry take this? How will Sam? _But then I looked at their faces. _No, this is really great! They look so happy. _

I had been thinking a lot lately about babies. I had really become afraid that I might not be able to have a baby. I had no idea if being a female werewolf would . . . make that impossible. Mom had put me on the pill when I was going with Sam, before we knew all about this wolf business. I kept taking it out of habit, but now I wondered if I even needed it. I remember joking with Embry once about having a litter instead of just one and how that freaked both of us out. But now that we were engaged, I wanted more than ever to be able to have children. I had the bloodline . . . I guess I thought somehow it should be possible to pass on the gene. But I had so many questions. _If it was possible for me to pass on the gene, why didn't Sam imprint on me when he first phased? And how would I phase if I was pregnant? And if . . . _Embry interrupted my thoughts.

"You're awful quiet," Embry said into my ear. It made me jump! "Whoa, I didn't mean to scare you! What are so deep in thought about?"

I looked at him and smiled. I knew I couldn't tell him what I was thinking about, and it wasn't my place to tell him Josh and Angie's news. "Nothing really. I'm just really enjoying being here. I was looking around at everyone and thinking how awesome it is that you and Sam and Josh have each other this holiday season. Especially Josh. He doesn't have to be alone anymore."

Embry looked over at his dad and said, "Yea. I'm really glad about that, too." Then he squeezed me closer and put rested his chin on my head. "And I'm glad I have you," he added softly.

The next day, Mom, Seth and I arrived with armfuls of food. Sam and Embry helped us carry everything in. Embry had crashed here last night to give his mom and dad a night alone. He did that about once a week or so. I think it was still weird for him having his dad there. He loved his dad, but he wasn't used to sharing the space with another guy. His parents weren't here yet. Embry told us they were coming around four.

Abby was already in Seth's arms and they were whispering to each other. I noticed Mom glancing that way and keeping an eye on them. She loved Abby just like the rest of us, but she was a little concerned at how close they were for only being 16. I smiled as I thought of the lecture I got from Emily and Embry. Maybe I should sick them on Mom! Just then, I felt Embry's arms come around me from behind. "I miss you," he whispered into my ear. Then he kissed me on the neck. I leaned into him and let him hold me.

"Let's take a walk before everyone else gets here," he suggested. I turned and smiled. "Sure," I said.

He took my hand and led me out the back door and toward the woods. As we walked we talked a little about school, and work. "I feel like we have to catch up with each other. We've both been so busy," I said.

He nodded. "I have a book report due in English in two weeks and I haven't even started the book. I don't have time to read."

"Yea, sure. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the book. What is it?"

"Some old book by some old dude. Ernest someone."

"Ernest Hemingway?" I asked.

"Yea. _The Old Man and the Sea._ It's boring as hell."

I laughed. "Do you have to read that book, or can you choose another one?"

"No, I picked it. She gave us a list and I thought a book about the ocean might be good, but it's not."

"Well, when I was in her class, I did my report on _The Last of the Mohicans_. It's about Indians. You might like that book better. I still have a copy at home. And, they made it into a movie, so after you read the book, you can watch the movie. But not before."

He smiled. "OK. I'll give that a try. I don't suppose you still have the report, do you?" he asked slyly.

"No cheating mister. I'll help you write a new one," I said with a sweet smile.

He stopped and took me into his arms. He just stood there for a moment and stared into my eyes. "What?" I asked.

"I would be lost without you. Sometimes that scares me a little," he said softly.

"I know. Me, too." He bent his head toward me and put a gentle kiss on my lips. I wound my arms around his neck and let him hold me.

We made our way back to the house and there were more people there. Josh and Angie had arrived, and Jake, Bella, Billy and Charlie were just coming in. Rachel was going with Paul to his family dinner. It was crowded and loud, but it was wonderful. I stood there with Embry and looked around and thought how sad last year had been for me. I'd lost Sam and my dad, and I was trying hard to deal with being a werewolf. Now, things were so different. I squeezed Embry's hand and he looked at me. I smiled and he kissed me. I was really loving life now.

Embry POV:

"Honey? Could you step outside with me and your dad for a second?" Mom asked.

"Yea, sure," I said. _What is this about?_

"Oh, Leah, you can come, too," Mom added. I looked over at Leah and saw she wasn't quite as surprised as I was. Now I was really curious.

We stepped out onto the front porch and Dad closed the door. "What's going on, guys?"

Mom looked over at Dad and they exchanged some weird look. Then she looked at me and said, "Embry, I wanted to bring you out here to share some good news with you. Your dad and I just found out that we are going to have a baby."

_What? A baby? Did she say . . . baby? _

"Oh my gosh, I knew it! I saw the two of you last night at the campfire and I saw a look between you and I wondered. This is great! I'm so happy for you." Leah gushed and hugged them both as I just stood there.

Finally Mom said, "Embry? Are you OK with this? You haven't said anything." I looked at her and could see she was worried about what I thought.

"Um, wow. I don't know what to say. I mean, I was just getting used to you being married, and now a baby." I looked at Dad and could see how happy he was. He would finally get a chance to be a Dad from the very beginning and be there for the kid through school, and . . . how could I not be happy for him? I smiled and said, "It's cool. I'm happy for you guys."

Mom grabbed me and hugged me. "I'm so glad, honey. I was so worried that you would be upset." She pulled back and added, "You know you'll always be my first baby."

I rolled my eyes. "Mom, I'm 18 now. I'm all grown up. I'm not going to be jealous over the new kid. Don't worry, OK? This kid will have the coolest big brother ever."

She laughed at that. I looked at Dad and said, "I'm glad for you old man. You get another shot at this. I hope it's a girl."

He smiled and hugged me. "Me, too." He stepped back and put his arm around Mom. "But, I think we do a pretty good job with boys, so I'll be happy with another boy, too."

"Well, we want to announce it today, but I wanted you to know first. So, I guess now we can go in and your Dad can make a big fuss over me!" Mom was so excited. She was glowing. Man, two babies in the family. This family was growing at a fast rate! I looked over at Leah and smiled. We would be adding to that number someday. I could imagine us telling everyone. _What a great day that will be._

We walked back inside and Dad called for everyone's attention. When it was quiet, he said, "I would like to tell you all that I am a lucky man. Not only do I have the most beautiful wife in the world, and two great sons, a lovely daughter-in-law and a grandbaby on the way, but I am getting another shot at being a dad. Angie is pregnant!" At first there was silence as the news soaked in. Then everyone cheered and made their way over to congratulate my parents.

Sam made his way over to Leah and I. "Man, this is weird, huh? Their baby will be my baby's aunt or uncle!"

"Yea, but they will grow up together. It will be sweet," Leah said.

He rolled his eyes and made his way over to hug Dad and Mom. "Are you really OK with this?" Leah asked me.

"Yea, sure. I think they deserve a shot to be a happy family. I mean, the baby won't be here for what, seven months or so? By then, I hope I will be planning a wedding and moving out to live with my beautiful wife."

"Wow. That would be . . . fucking awesome," she said with a grin. I laughed and pulled her to me and kissed her.

"Listen to that mouth," I said. "Where did you learn to talk that way?"

"Hmmm, I wonder," she said with a smile.

Just then Seth came up. "Hey, dude! You're going to be an uncle and a big brother. How weird is that?"

"Weird, but good."

Abby smiled and said, "I think it's really cool. I love babies. I can't wait until Emily has her baby. She promised I could babysit."

"Yea, well I hope Mom doesn't think I'll be doing that. Changing diapers, and cleaning up baby puke? No way."

Leah looked away and I wondered why. She looked kind of . . . upset or something. "You OK, baby?" I whispered to her. She looked at me and nodded with a small smile. I said to Seth and Abby, "Um, talk to you guys later, OK?" They nodded as I steered Leah down the hall and into the spare bedroom. I closed the door and said, "Talk to me. What's up?"

"All this talk about babies. I don't know. I guess it's got me wondering if I can . . . even have a baby. I mean, the whole idea of us imprinting to preserve the pack and pass on the gene . . . then why didn't Sam imprint on me when he first phased? Is it because I can't have a baby? And how could I phase if I was pregnant? I couldn't phase from human to wolf with a baby inside me. I just don't know. There are so many questions going around in my head. Stuff I didn't think of before . . . I fell in love with you. Now we're engaged and I want to be able to have babies with you and I'm afraid I won't be able to."

I took her in my arms and said, "Leah, I love you. Whether you can have a baby or whether you can't. I hope you know that."

"Yes, I know that," she mumbled into my shirt. "But I want so badly to give you a baby. Watching Emily get bigger and when I felt the baby kick . . . I knew I wanted that with you."

"Oh baby, I want that, too. But let's don't worry about now, OK?" I pulled back so I could look at her face. "I love you. I want to marry you. Let's deal with that first, and we'll worry about babies later."

She smiled. "How about if I kiss you and make it all better?" I asked her. She nodded, so I bent down and put my lips on hers. I kissed her until I felt that fire start to burn. I pulled back and said, "Maybe I better stop. I would be a little embarrassed for my mom to find me having sex at my brother's house on Thanksgiving. Although, that would be a first."

Leah just shook her head and laughed. "Come on, let's get back out there. I'm hungry and I don't want to miss that turkey!"

We got around to having our turkey dinner and everything was delicious. We all ate way too much, and for us, that was a lot! It was awesome sitting around with everyone and sharing stories. Emily showed off the baby's room which was done now and just waiting for the baby. She had even bought a few little dresses and they were hanging on little hangers in the closet.

I looked around and couldn't see Seth or Abby anywhere. I nudged Leah and asked her if she had seen them lately. She shook her head. I told her I was going to take a walk and see if I could find them. She nodded and then went back to her conversation with my mom about the new house they were trying to get. Dad was still negotiating with the guy. He said he thought he was "wearing him down." I hoped so! There was nowhere in our house to put a baby!

I walked toward the back of the house and peeked into each room. I wondered if they had somehow drifted upstairs to Abby's room, but I would have seen them walk up the stairs. I walked out onto the back porch and didn't see anyone there or in the backyard. I needed a little air, so I decided to walk around the house. I got out to where I parked my truck and noticed that the windows were a little steamed up. _My truck? Really, Seth?_

I walked quietly over to the truck and looked inside to see Abby laying on the seat with Seth on top of her. They were going pretty hot and heavy, but they were still dressed. I knocked on the window and Seth jumped a mile! _Yea, been there. That will stop your heart! _I opened the door and said, "Uh, what's going on here, dude?"

Abby sat up and adjusted her top a little. Hmmm, looks like Seth's been at least to second base. I gave him a look.

"Just messing around a little, bro," he said, trying to sound cool.

"Uh-huh. Can I talk to you a sec, bro?" I said as I pulled him out of the truck by the arm and over a few steps away. "What the hell, Seth? I told you to take it slow with Abby. You told me you really cared about her."

"I do! I . . . love her, Embry. I wanted someplace in private to tell her that, and we came outside, but I forgot it was cold for her, so we got inside the truck to talk and I told her and then . . . we started making out, and I guess I got a little carried away."

I looked over to see Abby sitting there in the truck with her head down. I hoped she wasn't crying. I looked at Seth then walked over to the truck. "Hey, Abby. Sorry about that. I didn't mean to make you feel bad. Are you OK?"

She looked over at me and said, "I'm sorry, Embry. You don't think I'm a slut. . . like my . . . mom?" _Whoa. She called her mom a slut. Man, I hate what this girl has had to grow up with._

I sat down on the seat and said, "No, Abby, not at all. I would never think that of you. I was upset with Seth because I thought he might be pushing you too fast. Seth just told me that he told you he loves you. How do you feel about that?"

Then she smiled. "Good. I love him, too." I hung my head for a second and thought how Leah will go through the roof when she hears this. I looked back up at her and said, "I'm glad, Abby. I really am. Seth is a good guy, and you deserve a good guy because you are the best." She smiled again that cute Abby smile. "But, I don't want you two moving too fast, you know? Making out is one thing, but for right now, that's all it should be."

She nodded quickly and said, "I know. I'm not ready for . . . that."

"You make sure you keep reminding Seth about that, OK? And if you change your mind, talk to Leah or me. It's tough being in love and being so young. But it's also the best thing in the world," I added with a smile.

I climbed out of the truck to see Seth glaring at me. "Come on, dude. Don't be pissed at me."

"You had to talk to her to make sure I wasn't forcing her, didn't you? Why do you keep thinking I'm going to do that? I know we talked about this . . . " he lowered his voice, "wolf thing. I understand. I feel it, dude. I want to do things I know I shouldn't, and I'm handling it, OK? If I think I can't, I will come and talk to you. But I don't need you and Leah following me around and making me feel like some monster! I can't take it anymore!"

Abby had climbed out of the other side of the truck and she made her way over to Seth. She reached down and took his hand.

"Look, Seth, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of your girl. It just caught me off guard to see you guys like that in my truck! I mean, that truck has seen it's share of action, you know? I know what kinds of things you can do in a truck. I was just a little worried. But I trust you guys. Just ask next time so I don't come breaking in and spoil things, OK?"

He finally gave me a small smile and a nod. I patted him on the shoulder. "I'll see you inside," I told them as I walked toward the front porch. _Man, that was tough. I knew just how Seth felt. It was hard to stop once you got started. I know he told me he was handling it, but by what I saw, I wasn't so sure. But he was right. I didn't want to make him feel bad about himself. He's a good kid. I needed to cut him some slack._

I walked back in and took my seat next to Leah. She leaned over and whispered, "Did you find them?"

I smiled. "Yea. They're OK." I put my arm around her and thought how it was better that I found them and not Leah! We just told her today to back off. I didn't want to worry her. They would be fine.

Just then they walked in the front door. I saw Leah glance over at them then at me. I knew she was wondering what they had been up to. I whispered, "They just went for a walk." She smiled and nodded and went back to listening to my mom telling Emily how she was hoping she could quit her job and stay home with the baby. She hated missing out on so much of my life, and she was hoping she could spend more time with this baby. I thought how nice that would be for her and the baby. I missed my mom a lot when I was really little. But, you get used to it. You have to. What else can you do? I looked at Leah and hoped that she could be home with our kids. I knew she wanted to teach, and that was a really good thing. At least she would have summers off with them. _If we could have kids . . ._

The party finally broke up. Mom said she was tired and wanted to get home, so she and Dad left. Then Charlie said he would take Billy home so Jake and Bella could stay a little longer. Sue said she would tag along with them and Charlie could drop her off.

I looked around and said, "Alright! All the parents are gone. What are we going to do for fun?"

Jake laughed and said, "I seem to remember you saying the same thing back at Cindy Grey's 13th birthday party, and she suggested Spin the Bottle."

"Oh yea, I remember that. She got me on the first spin. I made her birthday special," I said with my best cocky smile.

Leah just gave me a look. "Really? At 13 you were already a player?"

"Uh, yea. I'll have you know I kissed all 5 girls that were at that party that night."

Jake laughed. "He did. They kept spinning until it would land on Embry because he was the only one not too scared to kiss them!"

Everyone laughed at that. "Yea, Jake was always a chicken shit," I said.

"Naw, I was already in love and waiting for her to figure out that she loved me," he said as he looked over at Bella. She smiled shyly. "It took her a little longer than it took me." He leaned over and kissed her.

"Awwww, isn't that sweet?" I said. Jake had his arm around Bella's shoulder and he flipped me off behind her back. I just laughed at him.

"Well, I think we are a little old for Spin the Bottle, but I do have Trivial Pursuit," Emily said. "We can play teams, girls against the guys." The guys all groaned. "Oh, come on. We'll spot you a chip then you only have to get 5 instead of 6."

We all gave in and played. It ended up being a lot of fun. The girls whipped our asses, of course, but it was still fun.

"I guess it was good we had Seth on our team to answer the sports questions! Man, for guys we are pretty dumb about sports," I said. "I mean, how would I know what an ERA is?"

"Seriously, Embry. It's baseball! It's the great American pastime? How can you not know anything about baseball?"

I laughed and said, "Hey, I found better things to do." I put my arm around Leah and gave her a kiss. They all laughed.

"Well, I'm glad we had Bella for all the literature questions. I thought I read a lot, but you came up with some answers I didn't know," Leah added.

Bella smiled. "I spent a lot of time alone growing up. I found reading passes the time."

"I'm beat. Let's go, Bells," Jake said as he stood and stretched. "Thank you so much, Em, for having us over. Everything was great, as always." He went over and pulled her into a hug.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you could come," she said. She hugged Bella, too. They said their goodbyes and left.

"We should go, too. You have to be tired, Emily," Leah said to her.

"Yea, I am. But it's a good tired. I really enjoyed having everyone here today. And next Thanksgiving, we'll have two babies here! Won't that be great?" she gushed.

Leah smiled and said, "Yes, it will." Leah reached over and hugged Emily. "Thanks, Em, for today. Be sure to sleep in tomorrow. At least until 8 or 9!"

She laughed. "Yes, ma'am!"

Sam stepped up and said, "I'll take care of that." He gave her a fake mean look and she just rolled her eyes at him.

I looked over at Seth and Abby. He had his arms around her and he was saying something in her ear. She smiled and he kissed her. "Hey! You want a ride or are you walking home?" I called out to him. He looked over and said, "Give me a minute. I'm coming."

"OK," I said to Sam. "I'm heading out. You can tear them apart and send him outside." He winked at me and smiled.

Leah and I said goodbye and headed out to the truck. I opened the driver's door and she scooted in first and stopped in the middle to leave room for Seth. She looked down toward the floor then leaned down and picked something up and held it out for me. "Hmmm, I don't have any earrings that look like this. Who else has been in your truck, mister?"

I smiled. "Abby," I said softly. I took it from her and she said, "Oh, yea. I forgot you give her rides to and from school sometimes. I don't remember seeing it in here on the way over though."

"Um, yea. Well, that's because when I told you they went for a walk earlier tonight, they didn't. They were here, making out in my truck," I told her.

"What! Did you catch them? Did you yell at them?"

"Come on, Leah. They were just kissing. And yes, I talked to them. Now stop. Here comes Seth. Please don't yell at him. He hates that we are constantly on him about it," I said quickly.

Seth opened the door and hopped in. I put the earring in my pocket and started the truck. Seth didn't say anything. He just turned and looked out the window. I pulled out onto the road and Leah touched Seth on the arm and said, "You OK?"

He looked over and smiled. "Yea. I'm good. Just tired." He turned back to the window. _Yea, I knew that look. I'm sure my face looked that way every night after I said goodbye to Leah. I hated it, too._

I pulled up to the house and Seth got out and waved then made his way into the house. Leah looked at me and said, "Is he OK?"

"Yea, Leah. You should recognize that face. That's how I feel every night when I leave you. He loves her, baby. He just told her tonight. And she loves him, too."

"Oh no. How could they love each other? They've only been seeing each other for a few weeks? They barely know each other! They don't even know what love is."

"Listen to you! You sound like an old lady. I knew after a week that I loved you. It can happen that fast. And it might just be puppy love, I don't know. But you have to respect how he feels. Don't yell at him about it, OK? Be happy he's found someone. Abby is a great girl who needs to be loved. I just don't want to be around when he finds another girl and decides he doesn't love Abby like he thought. I'm afraid that will crush her."

"Oh God, I never thought of that. I hope that doesn't happen."

"Yea, but how many people find their 'soul mate' at 16? I mean, it happens, don't get me wrong, but it's kind of rare."

She was quiet for a moment and then she said softly, "I met Sam when I was 16. I thought he was my 'soul mate.' I'm glad I was wrong." She turned to me and put her arms around my neck. "Kiss me," she whispered.

I was very happy to obey that command.


	60. Chapter 59

CHAPTER 59

Leah POV:

Christmas was coming fast. Too fast! It was two weeks away already. I always loved this time as a kid. The anticipation, and all of the activities that lead to Christmas morning. This year would be so much more festive. Last year was our first without Dad and it was really hard. He and Seth always went and cut us a tree, and last year, we couldn't bring ourselves to do it, so we put up this little fake tree on the table in the living room. This year, Seth announced to Mom that he and Embry would be cutting the tree and she should have all of the stuff ready by Saturday. She smiled at me and said, "Well, the man of the house has spoken!"

Saturday arrived and Embry picked up Seth in the truck and Seth showed him where he and Dad used to go. They picked out a tree and cut it down then brought it home. They had picked up Abby on the way back. She was so excited! She joined Mom and I in watching them try to get the tree into the house and set in the tree stand. It took them forever to get it straight. But maybe that's because Mom and I were having way too much fun telling them, "A little more to the left." Then I would say, "No, to the right." We kept at it way too long, but it was so entertaining!

We finally had the tree up and the lights on then we decided to take a break for lunch. Mom made us soup and sandwiches and we all sat down at the table and ate. Abby was very chatty. She had never done this before. She told us when she was little her mom used to put up a little fake tree. But she quit doing that years ago. Mom just shook her head as Abby talked. She, too, wanted to kick the crap out of Abby's mom. Emily was determined that she would never go back there again. I think we would all make sure that never happened.

After lunch, I put on the Christmas music and we added all of the decorations to the tree. Then we lit the tree and all oohed and aahed over it. It really was beautiful. We always put it in the front window so you could see it as soon as you drove up to the house. Mom asked Seth to light a fire in the fireplace while we set up some of the other decorations. She had a special little table that we always set the Nativity Scene on. I was getting it out of the box when Embry came up to see what I was doing.

I took out the stable and started setting the figures into it. "I used to like to play with these figures when I was little," I told him. "One year, I insisted on taking Baby Jesus to bed with me every night. For some reason, I thought he might get stolen if I didn't." Embry smiled at that. He picked up the Baby Jesus figure and looked at it.

"We never had one of these. Mom wasn't a religious type of person, so we didn't go to church. I never knew Christmas was about anything other than Santa Claus. But, I remember Jake's mom took us to church one year and they had a Christmas program with Mary and Joseph and a little doll for Jesus. His mom told us the story again in the car on the way home." I watched his face as he talked. It was like he was reliving the memory as he told it. "I remember when she said that the baby was very special, Jake asked, 'like Batman?' and she laughed. She said he was more special than Batman. That got our attention!" He smiled. "When she took me home that night, she hugged me. That's my strongest memory of her. She was a really nice lady. It really hurt when she got killed." He looked down at the stable and put Baby Jesus down in front of Mary and Joseph.

"I'm sorry," I said as I put my arms around him. "I don't remember her very well at all. I know she used to come to school sometimes for Rachel and Rebecca, but I can just barely remember what she looked like."

"Just look at Rachel," he said with a smile. "The older she gets, the more she looks like her mom."

"OK, I found the stockings," Mom announced as she walked down the stairs carrying a box. "The box was pushed to the back of the attic for some reason." She opened it and took out a stocking that had Seth's name on it and one with mine.

"We're getting a little old for this, aren't we, Mom?" I asked her.

"Speak for yourself, old lady!" Seth interjected. "I like the candy and junk that I get in my stocking!" He went over to the fireplace and hung it up. Embry laughed and I just shook my head.

"OK, give it here," I said to Mom. I walked over and hung mine next to Seth's. I noticed that there were two more nails put into the mantle. I turned and looked as she held out two more stockings. One had Embry's name on it and one had Abby's. I smiled at her. _She's the best._ She winked at me and smiled back.

Abby took it from her and held it like it was going to break. "I've never had a stocking with my name on it. My grandma used to have a small one at her house for me, but . . . this is really, really cool." She looked up at Mom and said, "Thank you so much."

Mom reached out and hugged her. "You are very welcome. You hang it up so Santa can fill it, OK?"

She smiled and nodded. She walked over and hung it next to Seth's.

Embry took his and hugged my mom. "Thanks, Sue. This is awesome. I've never had a stocking with my name on it either. Or a fireplace to hang it on. I always laid mine on the table beside the cookies and milk for Santa." He walked over and hung it next to mine. I smiled at him.

"OK, let's get all of these boxes put away," Mom said. We all helped her put things away and then she said, "Now, who wants to help decorate cookies?"

"Oh yea, I'm in," Embry said.

"I said, 'decorate,' not eat," Mom teased.

"Aw, man," he whined. "Not even one? Just for me?" he said with his 'I'm so cute you can't say no' face.

She laughed and took his arm and pulled him along with her. "OK, if you're a good boy, you can have one."

"Yes!" I heard him say as they disappeared into the kitchen.

"Come on, Abby. My mom's cookies are the best," Seth said. Abby excitedly nodded her head and then she asked, "Aren't you coming, Leah?"

I was standing at the Nativity scene holding Baby Jesus in my hand. I looked at it and smiled then placed it back into the stable. "I wouldn't miss out on Mom's cookies," I said as I walked with them to the kitchen.

Embry POV:

Business had picked up which was really good because I wanted to get Leah something really special for Christmas. At first I was saving to buy her a ring. But Mom took care of that, so now I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to give her. I thought I might still like to give her jewelry, because I wanted it to be special. This was our first Christmas of what I hoped would be many Christmases, and I wanted this gift to be one she would always remember.

Jake and I were working in the garage the week before Christmas talking about when we might get a chance to go shopping. We were planning a trip to Port Angeles with Seth and Sam so we could all shop together. "Friday is good for me. You guys are out of school then, right?" Jake asked.

"Yes! And I have to go back after the holiday break for one week to take my finals and I am done with school. I am so ready!" He held up his hand and I gave him a high five.

"That's awesome, bro. I'm proud of you for going back."

"Hey, when is your GED test?"

"It's scheduled for Dec. 28th. Bella has been helping me study for it, but it seems pretty easy. I'm not worried about passing it."

"That's good. Then I can be in here full-time, and we can get closer to buying the shop."

Jake just nodded. He was kind of quiet today and I wondered out loud what was bugging him.

He looked at me and sunk down onto the stool. "Bella's mom wants her to go to Florida for Christmas. I don't want her to go. It's our fist Christmas together, you know? I mean, I don't want to be selfish. I know she misses her mom, but I really wanted to spend it together. And, I was kind of thinking of giving her an engagement ring."

"Really? I thought you were going to wait on that because of the whole Edward engagement thing."

"Yea, I know. I shouldn't be in a hurry, but man, when I watched you propose to Leah, it just really made me want that. I want her to wear my ring. My dad saved my mom's ring and he gave it to me when I was like 15 or something. He told me to put it in a safe place and save it for the girl I wanted to marry. I already knew then I was saving it for Bella. I guess I figure I've held onto long enough. I love her and I know I want to marry her. She already knows that. We've even talked a little about getting married. She seems to be warming up to the idea."

"Good! I knew she would. I mean, who could resist you, right?"

He laughed and said, "I know, right?"

"So is she definitely going to Florida?" I asked.

He shook his head. "She hasn't decided. She is torn. She wants to see her mom, but she doesn't want to leave me and Charlie. She told me she had to decide by today, but I haven't heard from her yet."

"Man, what a rotten girlfriend you have to keep you wondering so long," Bella said as she walked into the garage.

He stood up and said quickly, "No, I wasn't complaining, I was just . . ." She cut him off by kissing him. "It's OK. I'm not going. I told Mom it wasn't fair to make me pick between her and Charlie and you. So, she's coming here."

He picked her up in a hug and twirled her around. "That's great, Bells. Thank you so much. I didn't want to say anything. I wanted this to be your decision. I know you miss your mom. But I'm really happy we will be together for Christmas." He smiled and kissed her.

"Yea, me too," she said.

"Well, I think I will get out of here and let you two celebrate. All this kissing is making me miss my woman," I told them. Jake laughed and Bella just shook her head at me. "I'll tell Sam that Friday is OK with you?" Jake nodded. "We'll leave at eleven and catch lunch then shop and come home. Sound good?"

"Yep, I'm in."

"See you guys," I said as I walked out to the truck. I hope Jake gives her the ring and she accepts it. They were so good together. I wanted them to be as happy as Leah and me.

Friday arrived and I was getting dressed to go pick up Seth. Leah was letting me take the Jeep today so all four of us could ride together. I don't think we had ever been on a road trip together. This could be fun.

I walked out to find Mom at the kitchen table with her head in her hands. There was a can of 7 Up and a couple of crackers sitting on the table beside her. I felt so bad for her. This morning sickness was still getting to her. "Hey, Mom."

She lifted her head and looked at me. "Morning, Embry."

"Can I get you anything?" I asked. I noticed there was no coffee. Mom couldn't take the smell in the morning anymore. I would pick some up in town.

"No. I got one cracker down and I'm feeling a little better," she said.

"When is this supposed to end?" I asked. It had already been a couple of months.

"The doctor told me that I should feel better by the end of the third month. That's coming up in about a week from now. When I was pregnant with you, I didn't get this sick. Maybe it's because I was only 18 and I could handle it better. What am I thinking getting pregnant at my age? Maybe I'm too old for this."

I had sat down beside her and now I took her hand. "Mom, you're not too old for this. And besides, it's a little late for that now!"

She smiled at that. "I know. I want this baby so much. I always wanted another baby after you were born. I just didn't think it would take so long to find Josh again!"

I laughed. "Speaking of Dad, where is he?"

"He left for work early today. He wants to finish this job before Christmas. He gave Sam the day off today to go shopping with you."

I nodded. "Will you be OK here alone today?"

"Yes. Once I get this other cracker down and shower, I'll be fine. I have some wrapping to do today while you two are gone."

"Yea? You have presents here in this house that I don't know about? Hmm, I must be getting rusty."

"You always were a peeker," she said with a smile. There were some Christmases that Mom could only afford to get me maybe one or two presents, but she always managed something. I would usually nose around and try to find where she had them hidden. One year, she got me walkie-talkies and I unwrapped them and played with them then wrapped them up again before Christmas! The last couple of years, I told her not to get me anything because I didn't believe in Santa anymore and it was kind of silly. But she insisted.

"Alright. I gotta get going. Take care of yourself and little sissy," I told her as I kissed her on the head and walked to the door.

"Must you really call this baby 'little sissy?' I know you and your dad want a girl, but it might be a boy, you know," Mom called after me.

"Bye, Mom!" I called back as I shut the door. I smiled. I really did want a little sister, but I wouldn't mind a brother either. I jumped into the truck and headed over to pick up Seth.

I pulled up and parked and got out. Leah was right. The tree did look really good in the window. I walked into the house and closed the door and hollered, "Seth! Let's go!"

Leah walked out of the kitchen. "Hey, baby," she said as she put her arms around me. I bent down and kissed her. It had been way too long since we had any alone time and I was really missing her. I had been working more and she was working more, and she had just finished her finals and signed up for classes at the community college outside of Port Angeles. It seemed we had less time together than ever. I kissed her a little longer and she leaned against me. I teased her with my tongue and she opened her mouth to me and teased back. We were just getting into it when Seth came down the stairs.

"Hey, I thought you were ready to go and you still got your lips all over my sister!"

I pulled back and said, "Yea, that's where I like them." Leah smiled.

"Go on. Have fun with the guys today, but don't get into any trouble," she said.

"Fine. Here that Seth? You have to stay out of trouble," I said as I pointed at him.

"Me? She was talking to you, bro," he shot back with a grin. He opened the door as Leah said, "I was talking to both of you!" He just laughed and walked out to the Jeep.

She handed me the keys and kissed me. "We need some time alone, soon! I miss you, and I think you know what I mean." She reached around and grabbed my ass.

I grinned and said, "Oh baby, don't go there. I had to take a cold shower this morning because I had the best dream about you." I kissed her again and then Seth honked the horn. I pulled back and said, "I can't wait until we get to Sam's and he has his lips all over Abby."

Leah laughed and shoved me toward the door. "Go on. Get out of here!" I kissed her one more time then turned and ran for the Jeep. I got into the driver's seat and started it up. We waved at Leah and took off for Sam's.

"Do you know what you want to get Abby?" I asked Seth.

"Um, kind of, but I'm not sure."

I glanced at him and said, "What kind of answer is that?"

He smiled. "Well, you know the chain that my dad gave me with the wolf charm on it?" I nodded and he went on, "She really likes that. She knows that the wolf is the symbol of our tribe and she said she wished she had something like that to wear. So, that's what I want to get. I thought about asking Billy to carve me a charm like what Bella wears, but Jake did that and I didn't want to copy."

"Cool. That's good, bro. You listened to something she said. Girls love that."

He smiled and nodded at that. "So, what are you getting Leah?"

I looked over at him and said, "I'm not sure. I have a couple of ideas."

"Yea, that means you don't have a clue," he said with a laugh.

I laughed and said, "OK, you caught me. But, I have a couple of ideas, and I figure, I'll know it when I see it."

We pulled up to pick up Sam. Seth jumped out before I even had the Jeep at a full stop! He ran inside and I parked and got out. I walked up the front steps and inside the house and closed the door. "Hey little brother," Emily called out from the kitchen.

"Oh man, Em. What are you baking? It smells so good in here!" I told her as I made my way over to the counter.

"Gingerbread men. I used to make them with my grandmother when I was a little girl. Quil is bringing Claire over in a few minutes to help decorate them."

I grabbed one off of the counter and bit off the head. "These are good," I said with my mouth full. Just then I heard little feet hit the floor as Quil put Claire down just inside the door. She came running over and grabbed my leg. "Embwy!" she called out as she ran.

I reached down and picked her up. "Hey Claire-Bear! Give me a kiss," I told her. She gave me a smoochy kiss on the cheek.

"Now me!" she said. I gave her a smoochy kiss on her cheek and she giggled.

"Look what Aunt Emily made for you today," Emily said. "Gingerbread men! Do you want to help put frosting on them?"

She nodded and I put her down. Quil came up and grabbed a cookie and bit it's head off. "OK, you two, step away from the cookies. If you keep biting their heads off, we won't have any to decorate!" Emily scolded.

Sam walked out and grabbed jacket off of the peg in the hall. "Hey, bro, Quil. Where's Claire-Bear?"

"Here I am!" she said as she ran out from behind the counter and hugged his leg. He picked her up and gave her a kiss.

"How are you? Are you going to be a good girl for your Aunt Emily today?" he asked. She nodded. "Good, because I told Santa to bring you something extra special cause you were such a good girl." Her eyes got wide and she smiled and clapped her little hands. He put her back down and said, "We going, or what?"

I nodded over to where Seth and Abby were talking. "Yo, Seth. Let's go!" Sam called. Seth took Abby's hand and they walked to the front door. Sam walked into the kitchen to kiss Em goodbye. I turned to Quil and said, "Have fun, bro."

"I will. Claire is so excited, and I bet she'll be done after two cookies," he said with a smile.

I walked over to the front door. Seth and Abby were kissing. I stood behind them and said, "Make out time is over kids. We gotta go."

They broke apart and Abby said, "I'll see you tonight, OK?" Seth nodded and kissed her again. I shook my head and walked out the door. As I stepped off of the porch I heard Seth say, "Hey!" and I turned around to see Sam carrying Seth over his shoulder to the Jeep. I cracked up. He set him on his feet and Seth yanked open the door and climbed into the back and crossed his arms across his chest to pout. I looked at Sam and he just grinned.

We got in and went to pick up Jake. He climbed into the back with Seth and we set out for Port Angeles. Jake got Seth to quit his pouting by talking to him about cars. We cranked the music and enjoyed the ride. "I'm hungry, dude. Where do you want to eat?" I asked Sam.

He shrugged and said, "Wherever, bro." I pulled into a local burger joint Dad had told me about. I told everyone that Dad said they had the best burger in town, so I thought we should try it. Everyone agreed so we got out and went in. It was a little local place, but it looked clean and there were a lot of people eating, so I figured it must be good. We found a table and shocked the waitress by ordering a huge amount of food. There was a table of girls that kept checking us out and giggling.

"What is it about girls that makes them giggle so much?" Sam asked.

"Well, they just can't handle this much sexiness at one table, I guess," I answered. He just rolled his eyes as Jake laughed. "Hey Jake. Pull up your shirt and show them the abs. I bet they'd faint!" Seth laughed as Jake turned red. "Oh come on, Jake. You know you're hot. Hell, I'm a guy and I even think you're hot!" That made us all crack up.

It took the waitress three trips to bring us all of our food. It hardly fit on the table! We ate and talked and laughed. It was awesome hanging out. I loved these guys. I was happy to spend time with them.

We finished our lunch and I gave the girls one of my stellar smiles as we got up to leave. Jake even flexed his muscles a little for them as we walked to the door. That really drove them crazy! We laughed all the way to the Jeep. Everyone climbed in and I drove into town. While I was driving I called Dad.

"Hey, Dad. It's Embry. We just ate burgers for lunch. Thanks for the tip! They were great."

"Good. I knew you'd like it. Where you headed to now?"

"Um, we are heading into town and we are looking for a good jewelry store, and maybe somewhere that specializes in Indian jewelry. Seth has something particular he is looking for."

"Sure. Downtown, there is an antique store that has a little of everything. I used to love to go in there and just look around. Try there. Iit's right next to the Java Café on Main Street. There is also the jewelry store where I got your mom's ring on the other side of the street."

"OK. Thanks, Dad. Talk to you later."

"Yep. Have fun." I hung up and turned onto Main Street. I found the coffee shop and parked in front of it. We all climbed out and went into the antique store first. It was much bigger than I thought it might be, and Dad was right. There had all kinds of stuff in here. Sam and Seth went for the jewelry and Jake and I just wondered around.

I was walking down an aisle, browsing through things when it caught my eye. I stopped and turned and there it was. The perfect gift for Leah. I picked up each piece and examined them. They looked hand painted, and in such good condition. Then I picked up the Baby Jesus figure and smiled. It was beautifully crafted and the face . . . it was so angelic. I knew that she would love this Nativity Scene. I put all of the pieces into the stable and carried it to the counter.

There was an older woman sitting there who stood up as I set the stable onto the counter. She had gray hair that was pulled back into a bun and she had glasses hanging on a chain around her neck. She smiled at me and said, "I saw you looking at this. You've picked this out for someone very special, haven't you?"

I smiled back. "Yea, my fiancé. As she was putting out the one at her mom's, she told me how much she loved it as a child. And I thought she might like to have one for our own home for next Christmas."

"What a lovely idea! You are a very thoughtful young man. She's a lucky girl."

"Thanks. Um, I didn't see a price on it. Can you tell me how much it is?" I asked.

"Well, it is handmade – one of a kind. I know because my husband is the one that made it." She ran her hand along the top of the stable. "He loved to make things." She glanced up at me and added, "He's gone now."

"I'm sorry," I said.

She smiled. "It's been almost 10 years now, but I still miss him."

"Are you sure you want to sell this? Maybe you should keep it," I told her.

"There is no price on it because I had it out just for the season, you know? But, when I saw how delicately you handled each piece, especially the Baby Jesus, I knew if you asked, I would let you have it. It will have a good home." She smiled and patted my hand then she picked up the Baby Jesus figure. "And maybe someday you will have a little girl who will love it as much as your fiancé loved hers. I have no child to pass it onto." She put the figure down and said, "I'll get a box for it. I'll be right back." She turned and went into the back room.

Jake walked up and said, "What's this? Is this for Leah?"

I nodded and told him about the older lady and what she told me. "Cool. This is all hand carved and hand painted, dude. Billy would love to see this. How much is it? Has to be a lot."

"I don't know. She hasn't told me yet."

Just then she came back with a box and some tissue paper. She smiled at Jake who said, "This is really nice craftsmanship. My dad carves wood. Mostly Indian things."

"Thank you, young man," she said. She picked up the first figure and wrapped it in tissue paper. It was almost like she was saying goodbye to each figure as she wrapped it lovingly in the paper. I hated to ask, but I had to know if I had enough money with me to pay for it.

"Um, you never gave me a price. I have to know if I have enough money to pay you for it," I asked anxiously.

She looked up and smiled. "Young man, there isn't enough money in the world to pay for something like this. It is a gift. I want you to have it and give it to your young lady, and every Christmas when you take it out and set it up, I want you to give a little thought to the old lady that gave it to you. My Henry would want that. He would want to know that it is bringing joy to a nice young family."

I was speechless! I looked at Jake and couldn't think of a thing to say. She didn't even know me, and yet, she was giving me something that meant so much to her. "I don't think I can accept this as a gift, ma'am. It's too special to you. I . . . "

She looked at me and said, "Now you listen here. I've lived a lot longer than you have and I can tell you that you can't hang on to things forever. Something like this is meant to be passed on. If you don't take this as a gift, you will be hurting an old lay's feelings, and that's just not right."

I smiled at her. "Well, I wouldn't want to hurt your feelings. You're a very nice lady. But at least let me give you something. I wouldn't be able to give it to my girl in good conscience if I didn't pay something for it. How about if I give you fifty dollars? Please? I know it's worth much more than that."

She had put the stable into the box and was adding the figures. She finally looked up at me and said, "Well, I guess I could use the money to help pay a few bills. Henry wouldn't be mad at me for that."

I smiled and said, "Good." I pulled out my wallet and put fifty dollars on the counter. She took it and put it into the cash register. Then she walked around the counter and handed me the box. "Take good care of it," she said. I nodded and took the box. Then I handed it to Jake and said to her, "Would it be alright if I gave you a hug?"

She beamed and said, "I think that would be wonderful." I put my arms around her and hugged her. She patted my back and then stepped back. "It's been a long time since I had a hug from such a handsome young man. Thank you."

I laughed. "Well, thank you for the beautiful gift. After Christmas, I promise to bring Leah here to meet you."

"Leah. What a beautiful name. I look forward to that."

"I'm Embry, by the way," I said.

She held out her hand and said, "I'm Ruth. It's very nice to meet you Embry. What an unusual name. It suits you though." I had taken her hand and she held it for a moment then let it go.

"Thanks. This is my best friend, Jake. And that over there is my brother, Sam, and Leah's brother, Seth. We are all out shopping for our girls."

"Well, maybe I should see what other goodies I can pass on," she said with a twinkle in her eye. Jake looked at me and laughed.

"What about you, young man? Do you need something for your girl?" she asked Jake.

He handed the box back to me and said to Ruth, "Actually, I already have something for her. I am going to give her my mother's ring and ask her to marry me."

"Oh, how wonderful! My you boys seem so young to be thinking about marriage. It seems nowadays, people wait a lot longer to get married. But Henry and I were 19 when we married. He was being shipped out to Japan during the war, and we ran off and got married three days before he left. I didn't see him again for two years. But he came home to me," she added with a far away smile.

Seth had joined our little circle and she looked over at him and asked, "Please tell me you aren't engaged? You're just a baby!"

Jake and I cracked up at that one. Seth's face was priceless! "Um, I'm 16, and no, I'm not engaged. But I do have a girlfriend."

"Well, come with me, Seth, and tell me what you're looking for. I will help you find it." Ruth led him back to the jewelry counter and I could see Seth showing her his charm that hung around his neck.

I looked over at Jake and smiled. We spent an hour and a half in that store with Ruth, and she helped each one of us find exactly the perfect gift. Even Jake.

"Now I know you don't need a gift for your girl, but you mentioned that your father was a wood carver. I wonder if he would like these. She pulled out a case with some tools in it.

"Wow, these are really nice. They belonged to your husband, didn't they?" Jake asked.

She nodded. "Yes. And they have been sitting here forever. No one has even looked at them. But, I think your father would appreciate them, and I know that Henry would be happy they were being used again. Please take them. It would make me so happy."

He looked at me and I nodded. He smiled and said to her, "OK. Only because it will make you happy. But I insist on giving you some money for them. You have to pay your bills, you know." She grinned and Jake reached out and hugged her. "Oh, what a happy day this is! Two hugs! I can't remember the last time I got two hugs from such nice young boys in one day!"

Seth smiled and said, "How about one more?" She laughed and held out her arms. Seth hugged her and then stepped back. She had helped him find exactly what he wanted for Abby. It was a small silver wolf charm on a silver chain. I knew she would really like it.

But I think Sam's was the best. She took us into the back room and pulled a sheet back to reveal a beautifully crafted wooden cradle. We all gasped when we saw it. It was solidly made and there was an angel carved into it looking down as if it were protecting the baby who slept in it. I looked at Ruth's face and could see how special this had been to her. Then I remembered that she said she had no children to pass the Nativity set onto.

She said, "Henry made this after he came home from the war. We always wanted children, and so he made this for me in hopes that we would . . ." She stopped and ran her hand lovingly along the cradle. I could see tears in her eyes as she said, "But it was not to be. No babies ever came." I put my arm around her shoulder and for a second, she rested her head against me.

Then she straightened up and took a deep breath and said, "I want you to have it Sam. This cradle has sat here empty for way too long. It needs a baby, and you will have one soon. Please, take it. I know your wife will love it."

"I don't know. I mean it's beautiful, but . . ."

"No buts! I won't take no for an answer. It's yours." Then she looked at me and said, "Embry, make him take it."

I laughed and said, "Like I could make him do anything! He's my big brother, and he thinks he's always right."

"Well, this is your chance to give him an order," she said.

I looked over at Sam and said, "You have no choice, bro. You have to take it."

He laughed at me and walked over to Ruth. "Thank you, Ruth. Very much." He bent down and pulled her in for a hug. He let her go and she wiped the tears from her eyes. "OK, then. That's settled," she said.

"I don't think it will fit into the Jeep. We should have brought the truck. Um, I'll call Dad and see where he is with work. Maybe he can run up here and pick it up." I pulled out my phone and called him.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Dad. Where are you, work wise? You think you could take a break and come up here? Sam found a great cradle to give Emily for Christmas, but I brought the Jeep and I don't think we can get it in there to bring it home."

"Yea, OK. I actually just finished the job and was on my way home. I'll turn towards Port Angeles and be there in just a bit. Where are you?"

I told him we were at the little shop that he had suggested and he asked, "How's Ruth?"

"Oh, so you sent us here on purpose, didn't you? You know Ruth?"

"Yea. I found that shop a couple of years ago. She's a sweetheart, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is. She's helped all of us find just what we were looking for."

"OK, tell her Joshua is on the way."

"Thanks, Dad." I hung up and walked back to Ruth and told her what Dad said.

"Joshua is your father? Oh my goodness. I haven't seen him in quite awhile. I'm glad he's coming. While we are waiting, I'm going to go and get you boys some of my Christmas cookies. I'll be right back."

We ended up sitting at a little table in the store, eating cookies and listening to her tell us stories about her and Henry and all their travels. When they realized they weren't going to have children, they decided to travel the world. It was amazing listening to all of the places they had visited over the years. Time seemed to fly and suddenly, Dad walked through the door.

She smiled as he walked over and put his arm around her shoulder and put a kiss on her head. "I hear you've been taking good care of my boys here," he said to her.

"Yes, I have, Joshua. How are you? It's been too long since you've been by to talk."

"Well, I got married and moved to LaPush to be with my family. I promise I'll bring Angie here to meet you. We just got married last month."

"Well, congratulations. This is the girl you told me about, isn't it? All those years. I'm so happy for you." He smiled and put his hand on my shoulder.

"So, where is this cradle? I'll be it's beautiful. Henry did nice work, didn't he?" he said to us.

"Wait til you see the Nativity Scene I'm giving Leah, Dad. It's is really something," I told him.

He smiled as Ruth stood up to show him to the back to get the cradle. I noticed Sam took some money out of his wallet and laid it on the cash register. I smiled at him and he winked then walked to the back. Dad and Sam carried the cradle out and put it into Dad's truck. She made them take the sheet to keep it covered and protected on the way home. We all gave her another hug and promised to come back and see her.

Everyone headed out the door and I turned to look back one more time. She smiled and blew me a kiss. I smiled and waved and walked out to the Jeep. Dad was standing there on the sidewalk and I looked at him and said, "You sent me there on purpose to meet her, didn't you?"

He nodded. "Yes, I did. She's a wonderful lady, and she's lonely. She only keeps this shop so she can talk to people. I used to stop by once a month or so and talk. She kind of reminded me of my grandmother. Look at this," he said as he took a small piece of tissue paper out of his pocket. "She gave me this to give to Angie." He unfolded the paper and showed me a really nice silver heart-shaped locket. He snapped it open and it had a place to put two pictures in it. "I told her Angie was pregnant, and she told me she should have this to put a picture of her two babies in. I think she'll like that, don't you?"

I nodded. She would. "Ruth is amazing. How does she know exactly what someone would want?"

"Because it's what she would want." _Oh, yea. I could see that now._ "Come on, son. We better get home. It's getting late."

Sam decided to ride back with Dad, so Jake climbed in front with me. Seth stretched out as much as he could in the back and declared he was taking a nap. As I drove, I thought about Ruth and her Henry. _They were married for 50 years. I wonder what that's like, being with someone for that long._ I found myself hoping that I would get to find out.


	61. Chapter 60

A/N: _Dear Faithful Readers: I am sorry that I took such a long break from this story! Please don't give up. I promise to keep working. I did something I said I wouldn't do: I started another story before I finished this one! I woke up one day with a scene playing in my head and I had to write it down. Next thing I know, I am rewriting Breaking Dawn for Jake and Leah. I will publish it when I finish this story, which will be soon. Thanks for hanging in there with me. I really appreciate all of your feedback. KM_

CHAPTER 60

Leah POV:

We had a wonderful Christmas. Embry gave me the most amazing Nativity Scene! He told me he wanted us to have one of our own to put up in our house next Christmas. I cried when I opened it and took out each piece. Then he told me the story of where he bought it and who made it. I told him I definitely wanted to go and visit Ruth. I couldn't believe he had given me something so special. I hugged him and told him how I couldn't wait for next year to see where we would be living and where we set up our beautiful Nativity Scene.

I had given him a new tool box for the shop with some new tools in it. I had Jake come with me and help me pick everything out. He was very excited! He was always complaining how he needed this tool, or that tool to fix something and he didn't have it. Now he did. He pulled me into his arms and told me he would thank me properly when we were alone. I whispered how much I would look forward to that.

Jake had called Embry to tell him that Bella said yes to his proposal! Embry had to hold the phone away from his ear a little ways because Jake was shouting so loud. He was so happy and excited to be engaged. I was so happy for him. He had suffered for too long waiting for Bella to make up her mind between Jake and the bloodsucker. I'm glad he was finally happy and secure that she loved him and only him.

Abby loved the necklace that Seth gave her. She squealed when she opened it and that made Seth very happy. She gave him a scarf that she knitted herself. Emily had taught her to knit while she was making a blanket for the baby. Embry and I exchanged a look when Seth opened it. As wolves, we really didn't have much a need for a scarf, but Seth put it on right away and told her how much he liked it. I just stared at them as I realized how much he really did care for her. Maybe he did love her. I know how I felt at 16 about Sam. I had really loved him.

Mom made us a wonderful dinner on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day we went to Sam and Emily's. It was so great being with Embry's family. Everyone bought gifts for the new babies that weren't even here yet, and there was a lot of laughter and some tears. I noticed Josh just standing off to the side of the room by himself. I walked over and stood with him. He looked down at me and smiled. "Just taking everything in?" I asked.

He nodded. "I can't believe that I'm not dreaming. To be standing here in Sam's house, watching my pregnant wife talk to my son. I am absolutely blown away."

I smiled at him. He put his arm around my shoulder and said, "Thank you, Leah. Thank you so much for coming to find me. I will never be able to repay you for that."

"You don't need to repay me. Just seeing how happy you and Angie are is more than enough. And Embry. He loves having a complete family. I think Sam has even come around and is happy you are back."

Josh looked over at Sam, who had his arm around Emily. They were looking at a little outfit that Angie had given them for the baby. Josh smiled and said, "I never in my wildest dreams ever thought that I would have Sam back in my life. I was so afraid he would hate me forever."

We stood there quiet for a moment just taking in the scene before us. Seth and Abby cuddled close talking . . . Sam and Emily . . . Embry and Angie and my mom sharing something funny . . . it was pretty amazing. "This is a lot different holiday for my family, too, you know. A year ago, I thought I had lost everything. Sam, my dad, my normal way of life. I was so angry and hurt and confused. I thought I would never be happy again. But, here I am. I am engaged to the most wonderful man in the world, and I have so much to look forward to. Life is funny like that, isn't it? Just when you think you can't take any more pain, the sun comes out again and here we are."

Josh squeezed me to his side and kissed me on the head. "Life is funny, but oh so sweet."

Embry POV:

_YES! I'M FREE!_ I was finally out of high school forever. _Thank God!_ I had taken my finals and I actually passed all of them, thanks to Leah's help. She was a slave driver, making me study like I never had before. My mom cried and told me how proud she was of me. I guess it was kind of worth it, just to see her so happy. Dad took us all out to dinner to celebrate my graduation. It was awesome looking around the table and thinking, "_This is my family_," and it wasn't just me and Mom.

Dad had finally gotten the price he wanted on the new house and he bought it. It was just outside LaPush, not far from Jared's house. It had two bedrooms, and a smaller room that could be used as a nursery, a bigger kitchen (which made Mom happy), a living room, one and half bathrooms and a garage. It also had a basement that was unfinished. It was kind of run-down and did need some work. So, Sam and Dad were working on it in the evenings and on the weekends. I helped on the weekends too. Sam even had some of the guys come over and help. We wanted to get this place in shape soon so we could be moved in before the baby came, which Mom found out would be sometime in June.

I had already secretly decided that I wouldn't be moving in with them. I really wanted to be married by then. I had already talked to the landlord of our house and told him that when my mom and dad moved out, I would like to rent the house. He told me that since Mom had been such a good tenant all these years, and always paid her rent on time, that he would be willing to keep the rent the same for me. I told him I was really grateful for that and I would let him know closer to summer when I would take over.

Jake and I were working full-time now and business was going good. We had really outgrown our little garage and we needed to get moved over to the shop soon. One day in early February, we sat down to crunch some numbers. "Man, we are so close. I think we should call Mr. Collins and go over the numbers. Maybe there's some way we can do this sooner," I suggested.

Jake nodded. "Maybe. I'll call him today and see when we can meet with him."

Just then my phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, bro. Just wanted you to know that we are headed to the hospital. Emily's water just broke. Can you call Dad? I gotta go!"

"Yea, bro, go!" I hung up and looked at Jake. "The baby's coming! Emily's water just broke!"

He grinned as I called Dad. "Dad? Sam just called me. Emily's water broke and they are on their way to the hospital. Yea, just now. OK, bye."

I started to dial Leah's number then remembered that she was in class. She had started classes at the community college in January and she really loved it. She had a full class load, so she was only working at the restaurant on the weekends now. She had finally gotten a cell phone so I texted her. Her mom insisted she get one now that she was driving back and forth to school. I sent: "_Baby's coming. Em to hospital_."

I waited. "_OMG! Meet you there after school?"_

I answered: "_Yea__ sure_."

I turned back to Jake and said, "I gotta go and be there for Sam. Is that OK?"

"Uh, yea! Of course. Go, dude. I'll let you know what Collins says."

"Thanks, bro." I got up and ran out of the garage. I got to the truck and realized I forgot my keys. I ran back into the garage to see Jake standing there holding them up and dangling them. "Forget something?" he asked with a grin.

I laughed and he tossed them to me. "Call me and let me know how things are going. I'll come by later!" he called to me as I ran for the truck. I jumped in and headed for Forks.

I walked into the hospital and asked where the maternity ward was. The nice lady at the desk gave me directions and I found the elevator and took it to the second floor. I walked out and saw Mom and Dad sitting at the end of the hall in the waiting area. I walked up and asked, "How did you get here before me?"

Dad laughed and said they were in Forks at the hardware store when I called. "We were picking out new handles for the kitchen cabinets," Mom explained.

"Any news yet? Have you even seen Sam?" I asked.

"Yea, we were here when they brought Emily up. She's doing great. Sam not so much. He's a wreck!"

I laughed at that. Em and I just had that conversation the other day when I asked her if she was scared about having the baby. She told me no, that she was excited, but she was worried Sam wouldn't make it without passing out. I told that to Dad and he said, "I think she may be right about that!"

We all sat down and made ourselves comfortable. The nurse had come out and told us that since this was a first baby, it could be awhile. Emily was doing great – she was dilated to 5 centimeters on her way to 10, which was good, but it could still take some time. We settled in and waited.

I got another text from Leah: "_Baby here yet?"_

"_No. Still waiting."_

"_On my way!"_

"_Good!"_

"Leah is on her way," I told Mom and Dad. Mom was flipping through a parenting magazine and Dad was on the phone with someone about buying a new sink for the kitchen. I told Mom, "I'm going downstairs to wait for Leah. I'll be right back." She looked up and nodded. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks," she answered.

I took the stairs down to the lobby and waited for Leah. I only had to wait about 20 minutes. She came jogging up to the front door and inside. "Did I miss it?" she asked quickly.

I pulled her to me and said, "No. It will be awhile." I filled her in on what the nurse said.

"Oh, OK," she said.

I kissed her slowly and said, "I miss you. I really do. I know things are busy right now, but we really need to find some time together."

She smiled and said, "Yea, me, too." I took her hand and led her over to the door of the stairs. We made our way up to the waiting room. Leah greeted Mom and Dad just as Sam came out from behind the door that led to the birthing rooms. Leah met him and asked excitedly "What's going on? How's Emily?"

He smiled and said, "She's doing great. She's already at 8 centimeters . The doctor was just in and said everything looks good. I just wanted you guys to know. I had to take a bathroom break."

I put my hand on his shoulder and asked, "You doing OK, bro?"

He looked at me and said, "Man, this is hard. I'm a nervous wreck and Emily is so calm. I don't know how she's doing it."

I smiled and patted his shoulder. "You're doing good. Hang in there." He nodded and turned and went back inside to Emily.

We all sat down again and soon Seth called. "Hey, so you know where Sam is? He told us he was picking us up at school today, and he never showed."

"Oh no, sorry, dude. Emily's water broke and we're all at the hospital waiting for the baby." I looked over at Leah and mouthed "Seth." "Um, let me call Jake. I'll see if he can come and get you. If not Jake, I'll find someone. You guys hang tight."

Leah smiled and said, "He forgot about Seth and Abby, didn't he?" I nodded as I waited for Jake to answer.

"Hey, what's up? Is the baby here?" he answered.

"No, but my bonehead brother forgot he was supposed to pick up Seth and Abby at school. Can you run by and get them?"

"Sure, sure. I'm on my way."

"Thanks, Jake." I hung up and told Leah that Jake would get them.

It wasn't long before Jake showed up with Seth and Abby. Abby ran over to Leah and asked anxiously, "Is she here yet? Did we miss it?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Still waiting."

I walked over to Jake and asked him if he got a hold of Collins. "Yea, I did. We have a meeting with him tomorrow at ten in the morning. He said he might be willing to work out some kind of deal with us," he told me with a smile.

"Yes! I hope so. We really need the space, and I really want to get married," I told him.

He looked at me with a curious look and asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to get married? Did you knock her up or something?"

"Geez, Jake, no, I didn't knock her up. Why would you ask me that?"

"I don't know. You're only 18, man. Why be in such a hurry?"

"I love her. I want to be with her ALL the time. I'm FINALLY out of school, and I'm ready to start my life. If I have the money to support her, why wait?"

He smiled and said, "I don't know, bro. I guess you're right. Go for it!"

"I will!"

"Will what?" Leah said as she walked up. I looked at Jake and said, "Um, be at the meeting with Collins tomorrow morning at ten. We're going to talk to him about getting the garage sooner."

"Yea? Great! I hope it works out," she said.

"Me, too, baby," I said as I put my arm around her shoulders and kissed her on top of the head. I looked over at Jake and he smiled.

We all sat down and waited another two hours. Finally, a very exhausted, but happy looking Sam came through the doors and announced, "She's here! And she is perfect. Emily did great. The baby weighs 7 pounds 5 ounces and she's is perfect. Did I say that already?"

I rushed forward and grabbed him in a bro hug. "Congratulations, Dad!" I said as I patted him on the back. Leah was next, then Seth, then Abby, and on and on.

Abby was practically jumping up and down. "When can we see her?"

"Soon. I just wanted to come out and let you know that she's here. I'll be back when she can have visitors, OK?"

Sam looked over at Dad and they exchanged a look. Then Sam put his arms around Dad and hugged him. I felt tears sting my eyes for a second. I knew this was a very momentous occasion for both of them. Leah put her arms around my waist and leaned her head onto my shoulder. Then Sam turned and went back through the doors. Mom walked over to Dad and put her arms around him. I saw him wipe a tear from his eye quickly and then hug her.

"So, Uncle Embry. Are you excited to see your niece?" Leah asked me. _Wow. I have a niece. How weird is that?_

"Yea, I am. Awesome, isn't it?" Everyone was so excited and talking. Jake got on the phone and called Quil to tell him to spread the good news.

Sam came back out and went to Dad. He took him and Mom back to see the baby first. They were back there for about 20 minutes or so then they came out and Dad told me and Leah to go back next. I stood up and took her hand and we walked back through the doors and down the hall to Emily's room.

We walked in and Emily was sitting up in bed holding the baby. Sam smiled and said, "Hey, bro. Meet Lily."

I stepped up to the bed and bent and kissed Emily on the forehead. "Hey, sis. How ya feeling?"

She smiled and said, "I'm great, little brother. I can't imagine being any happier than I am right now." She looked over at Sam. Leah had walked over to Sam and hugged him. I wondered how hard this might be for her, but she seemed to be doing alright.

I took a look at my new niece. She was all wrapped up in a blanket with a little pink hat on her head. All you could see was her little face. She was sleeping so peacefully. "Oh man. She is really beautiful," I told them softly.

"Would you like to hold her?" Em asked.

"I . . . don't think so. Maybe after you get home. She's just so tiny," I said.

Leah said softly, "I would. Is that OK?" Sam and I both looked at her with surprise. Emily said, "Sure."

Leah took a couple steps over to the bed and Emily handed Lily to her. She tucked her close to her and looked down into her face. "Oh Lily. You are so beautiful," she crooned to her. We all just stared at her. I never thought she would be OK standing here holding Sam and Emily's baby. She truly amazed me.

Leah POV:

I walked into the hospital room and hesitated for a second. This is Sam and Emily. _This is the guy that hurt you. And here you are, walking into the room to meet their new baby._ Embry went up to the bed right away and kissed Emily on the forehead. I walked over to Sam and hugged him. "This is harder than I thought," I whispered. "But I want to be here."

"I'm glad you are, baby," he whispered back. I pulled back and looked at Emily. She looked so happy. I felt that old knife in my heart twist just a little. For a millisecond, I wished it was me sitting in that bed holding that baby. But now, I wished it were Embry's baby instead of Sam's. She asked Embry if he wanted to hold her, but he was too scared. I could see it on his face. Like he would break her, or something. I surprised myself by saying, "I would. Is that OK?"

Emily said, "Sure," and handed the baby to me.

I looked down at this little tiny person. As I was looking at her, she opened her eyes and stared at me. "Oh Lily. You are so beautiful." I felt tears come to my eyes as I held her. I couldn't believe the strong maternal feeling that all of sudden stirred inside. I wanted this so much. _What if I could never have this?_

Suddenly, I couldn't hold her any longer. I looked down at Em and said, "Um, here Emily. I'll go out and get Seth and Abby. I know she is dying to see you and Lily." I handed her the baby, and practically ran out of the room. I went down the hall and out into the waiting room. "Abby? You and Seth can go back now. It's the room at the end of the hall."

Abby jumped up and grabbed Seth's hand and hurried down the hall. I had to get away for a minute. I felt smothered all of a sudden. I hit the door for the stairs and ran down them and out the front door. It was a cold wintry day, but it didn't bother me. I walked over to a bench that sat in a little garden area and sat down and took a deep breath.

I wasn't alone long. Embry sat down next to me and pulled me into his arms. "I'm sorry, baby. This was harder for you than you thought it would be, wasn't it?"

I nodded. I felt the tears running down my face. "I'm so sorry, Embry. I know I'm over Sam. It's just seeing them with a baby . . . it just got me for a minute. And then, holding her . . . all of a sudden, I wanted that so badly. I want a baby, Embry. More than anything. What if I can't have that?" I was crying now.

"Oh baby. Shhhh, it's OK," Embry whispered to me. He held me while I cried. I didn't want to tell him that I had stopped taking the pill at the beginning of December. I know it wasn't right to not tell him. I'm not sure why I did it. We weren't even married yet. We certainly weren't ready to be parents. But nothing had happened. I wasn't pregnant. Maybe I never would be.

I finally pulled myself together. I wiped my face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall apart."

"It's alright. I just wish you weren't so worried about having a baby. I mean, there's plenty of time for that. Why are you in such a hurry?"

I shook my head and said, "I don't know. I really don't. "

Embry looked at me and took my face in his hands. "Leah, I've told you. I will love you no matter what. You're not afraid of losing me, are you?"

"No. I know you love me, Embry. I know you wouldn't leave me," I said softly. I was feeling really guilty now for not telling him about the pill. I would go and get a new prescription tomorrow and start it again. We weren't ready to be parents. I really wanted to get married first. "I'm sorry, Embry. I guess it's the emotion of seeing Sam and Emily with a baby. And your mom is pregnant . . . I guess I'm just getting baby fever or something."

He smiled and said, "Yea, don't drink the water, huh?" I smiled and nodded. "How about if we go get something to eat? I'm starving."

"Yea, me, too."

He stood up and took my hand to help me off of the bench then he put his arm around me and walked me to my Jeep. "How about if I meet you at the little Mexican restaurant we went to on our first date?" I smiled and said, "Sounds great. See you there." He leaned over and kissed me then I got into the Jeep and started the engine. I really needed to chill on this baby thing. Once I decided to quit phasing, it would happen. I had to keep believing that.


	62. Chapter 61

CHAPTER 61

Leah POV:

Sam and Emily took Lily home a couple of days later and Embry and I visited them at home. Embry finally held her and I was overcome with emotion yet again. Watching him hold Lily and talk to her in cute little baby talk was almost more than I could stand.

So, over the next few weeks, I tried hard to put all this baby business behind me and concentrate on my classes. I had taken a full class load this semester and I loved it, but it was a lot of work. I had homework along with research to do and papers to write, and on the weekends, I worked at the restaurant. It didn't leave a lot of time for being with Embry. He came over in the evenings after work and we usually hung out while I did homework. We would sneak in a little make-out time, but it was really never enough.

Jake and Embry had their meeting with Mr. Collins and he told them he had come up with a plan. His wife really wanted to move to a warmer climate before winter came. So, while she went down to Palm Springs to shop for a new house, he would stay here and work with Embry and Jake at the shop, then come October when the Mr. and Mrs. Collins move south, the shop would be all theirs. They were so excited! I was really happy for them. This would give them a chance to really learn everything they would need to know about running their own business.

It was Friday night and I decided that Embry and I deserved an evening alone. Mom was working and so I begged Seth to go over to Sam's and spend the evening with Abby. He smiled and said, "What's it worth to you?" I rolled my eyes and grabbed my purse. "Here's $30 and the keys to the Jeep. Take Abby out somewhere then go back to Sam's. Give me until at least eleven, OK?"

He grinned and said, "You got it, sis!" He was out the door in record time. I hurried upstairs and changed into the jeans that Embry liked so much, and a dark purple blouse that I had just bought. I even left a couple of extra buttons undone and sprayed on a little perfume. I brushed my hair until it shone and quickly put on a little black mascara and some lip gloss. I looked at my refection and thought, _not bad_.

I ran back downstairs just as Embry was pulling up. My heart beat a little faster as I watched him walk up to the door. I smiled as I held the door open and he walked in carrying a very large pizza box. He leaned over and kissed me. "Hey, baby. I brought dinner."

"Awesome! Why don't we have a picnic in my room?"

He smiled and said, "Let's go."

I went to the kitchen and grabbed some napkins and a couple of bottles of Mt. Dew and followed Embry upstairs. He set the pizza on the floor as I closed the door and put on some music. Then I sat down on the floor and leaned back against the bed as Embry opened the pizza box. We each took out a slice and bit into it.

"Mmmm, thanks for bringing pizza. This is great," I said with my mouth full.

"I didn't want you to have to spend time cooking and then cleaning up the kitchen," he replied.

"Oh really? What did you want me to spend time doing?"

He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at me as he took another bite. He didn't have to answer. I was thinking the same thing. "So is Seth with Abby?" he asked.

"Yes. Cost me thirty bucks and the keys to the Jeep! I told him not to come home before eleven."

He laughed at that. "Good man. I would have held out for at least fifty."

I rolled my eyes at him and finished my slice of pizza. He moved the pizza box off to the side and looked at me. "Dance with me," he said with a soft smile.

"I would love to," I answered. He stood up and held out his hand, and I took it as he helped me up. I had the radio playing and an older song by Faith Hill came on called, "Breathe." Embry took me in his arms and held me close as we moved to the music.

"When we get married, I think we should dance together every night," he said softly. Then he put his lips on my neck and his kisses sent shivers down my spine. He ran one hand over my ass and said, "You know I love these jeans on you."

"Why do you think I'm wearing them?"

He laughed at that then asked, "And this shirt? Is this new?"

"Yes," I answered. "And I believe it's your favorite color?"

He looked at me as he ran his finger down my throat and into the vee of my cleavage. "I noticed that you left a few of these buttons undone."

"So, you noticed, huh?" I asked him as I wound my hands into his hair.

"Oh yea, I noticed," he admitted with a smile.

"Good." I put my lips on his and showed him how much I wanted him. It had been way too long. I teased his lips with my tongue and he opened his mouth to tease me with his. It didn't take long until we were way past dancing. I stepped back and pulled his shirt over his head then made him sit on the bed. I smiled as I slowly unbuttoned my new blouse. As he watched, I knew he was trying hard to hold back and not pull me to him to do it himself. After the last button, I opened my shirt to show off the new black lacy bra I was wearing underneath. I thought his eyes would bug out of his head! "I did a little shopping at Victoria's Secret." His smile was worth spending my tip money on fancy underwear.

I slipped the shirt off of my shoulders and smiled. "Wow," he said softly. Then I slowly unzipped my jeans and moved them over my hips to reveal the very tiny matching panties. "Oh, baby, you . . . look so . . . hot." I could see his desire showing in his eyes. . . and his jeans. I stepped up to him and he put his hands on my hips and kissed my stomach. He reached around and unhooked the bra and I slipped the straps down until it fell to the floor. I smiled and then put my hands on his shoulders and pushed him back. I fell on top of him and ravaged his mouth with my kiss. And then . . . his phone in his pocket vibrated. I stopped and looked at him.

"Ignore it! I don't care who it is. Nothing is more important than this," he said as he rolled me over and put his lips on mine. I could feel how hard he was as he pressed into me. His phone stopped and we carried on. Then it started again. Embry growled then reached into his pocket for the phone. "Hello!" he shouted angrily into it. Then he got quiet and sat up.

"Dad? Wait, what? I can't hear you very well . . . where are you? . . . yea OK, just stay put, I'm calling Sam. We'll be right there." He closed the phone and looked at me. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but, I have to go."

"What happened to your dad?" I asked anxiously.

"He's been gone since Tuesday. This was his week, to um, you know, phase. He said he's phased back and he's pretty beat up. His leg is busted and he can't move. I have to go and find him and bring him home."

"Go! It's OK, Embry. Your dad needs you," I told him.

He nodded and slipped off of the bed. He opened the phone and called Sam. "Sam, it's Embry. Look, I need your help right now. It's Dad. He's hurt and we have to go and get him and bring him home. I think it will be faster to go wolf. I'm at Leah's right now. I'll phase and meet you in your back yard in just a few minutes, OK? Thanks." He closed the phone and said, "Shit. I don't have any shorts. It's too hard to carry jeans."

"I'll get you a pair of Seth's." I had picked up my bra and put it back on as he talked on the phone. I slipped off of the bed and went into Seth's room to find a pair of shorts. I hurried back to my room and handed him a pair of black gym shorts.

"Thanks, babe," he said. He pulled off his jeans and boxers then stuffed his cell phone into the pocket of the shorts and rolled them up and tied them to his ankle. Then he stood to look at me. "God, it is killing me to leave you, you know that don't you?"

I put my arms around his waist and said, "Yes, I know. But I'll save up another thirty bucks so we can pay Seth off for another night alone real soon. I promise."

He smiled and kissed me. "I love you, Leah. And I really love that you bought sexy underwear for me. Man, I thought I would have a heart attack when you unzipped those jeans and took them off. I want to replay that again, very soon."

"Anytime," I said then I kissed him. And then our kissing got a little out of hand again.

He broke away and said, "How am I going to run and phase like this?" He pressed himself against me and I smiled. "Sorry," I said sheepishly. He laughed and said, "I gotta go. I'll call you later." He gave me one more kiss then he was out the door and down the stairs. I sat down on the bed and hoped his dad was alright. Then I slid down onto the floor and reached for the pizza box. I grabbed a slice and bit into it. This was not exactly how I pictured my night ending.

Embry POV:

"_So, where is he?" _Sam wanted to know_. _He was phased and waiting for me when I got there.

"_Dad told me he was close enough to the road that he could see the highway sign to Port Angeles. He thought if we followed it north, we should come across him. He's on the west side of the road."_ We ran at top speed for the highway then turned north. As we got closer I tried to pick up Dad's scent. Sam howled to see if he could hear us. Finally, we heard a very weak, "Over here!" As we ran toward the voice, I phased back into my human body. I ran up to Dad and said, "Hey, Dad."

He was laying in the grass at the edge of the woods. He was still naked, and really scratched and bruised. I could tell by the way his leg looked, it was busted. Sam had phased, too, and he was looking Dad over. "Have you tried to move?" he asked Dad.

Dad nodded. "I can't move the leg at all. It's pretty busted up. My ribs are, too. It was all I could do to get my shorts untied from my ankle to get my phone out. That took quite awhile."

He was so weak. I knew we had to get him home as soon as we could. "Dad, where's the truck?" I asked him.

He handed me a small piece of paper. He had written Tuesday at the top, and where he parked his truck on it. Sam was reading over my shoulder then he reached out and took it from me and said, "I'll go get the truck. Stay here with Dad." He touched Dad on the shoulder and said softly, "Hang in there, old man. I'll be back as fast as I can." Dad smiled and nodded. Sam looked at me for a moment then stood up and ran off. He phased a few seconds later and disappeared into the night.

I looked down at Dad and asked, "Is there any way I can make you more comfortable?"

He smiled and said, "Do you think you can help me put my shorts on? It's a little awkward laying here naked."

I laughed and said, "Uh yea. I get that. Maybe I should slip my own on first." I untied the shorts at my ankle and slipped them on. Then I took Dad's and put them carefully over each foot then slipped them slowly up his legs. Getting them over his hips was difficult, but we finally managed. I sat down next to him, slightly out of breath.

"Thank you, Embry."

"Yea, sure."

"Did you call your mom and tell her?" he asked.

"No. I was with Leah and after I hung up with you, I called Sam and then raced to his house. Should I call her?"

"I don't want her upset."

"Well, Dad, when we carry you into the house looking like this, I think she'll be a little upset."

"I know. God, you don't know how much I hate this," he said with his eyes closed. I reached out and took his hand. He squeezed it hard.

"I know, Dad. But at least you'll heal fast."

He tried to smile at that, but then he said, "But I don't know about this leg. I think it will need re-setting."

I thought about that, too. That meant calling Sue or Carlisle. We were going to have to learn how to do these things ourselves until we got our own doctor. I hated having to call the leech doctor every time something like this happened. Carlisle was a good guy, but it shouldn't be his responsibility to take care of us. We should be able to do that ourselves.

I pulled out my phone and called Leah. "Embry? Is he OK?" she answered.

"Yea, I'm here with him right now. We're waiting for Sam to get back here with Dad's truck. His leg is really bad. It will probably need re-setting. What time will your mom be home?"

"Probably around 11:30. It's only ten til eight now," she answered_. Shit. I don't think he could wait that long._ I looked over at him and decided I would have to call Carlisle. "I guess I'll have to call Carlisle. I don't think we can wait."

"I'll call him. Where are you taking your dad? I'll have him meet you."

"Home. We can't let Abby see him."

"OK. Call me when you're on your way, and I'll find him and have him meet you there."

"Thanks, Leah. I really appreciate that. I love you."

"I love you, too. Call me."

"I will. Bye." I hung up and looked down at Dad. He smiled and said, "You are a lucky man, son. You have one helluva girlfriend."

I smiled and said, "Fiancé, thank you very much, and I know I'm lucky. If you only knew what I left tonight to come and find you . . ."

"Sorry about that," he said.

I smiled. "It's OK. We'll find another time to be together. I hope to marry her soon. Like maybe, May."

"Really? That soon?"

"Yea. We're moving to the shop in April to work with Mr. Collins and in October, the shop is ours. I know I'll have money coming in, and I already talked to the landlord of our house, and asked him when you and Mom move out, if I can stay there and take over the rent. He agreed and said he would keep the rent the same with no deposit. Dad, I don't want to keep waiting. I love Leah, and I want to marry her and sleep with her every night, and take care of her."

"Sounds like you have a plan. You've been thinking about this."

"She's all I think about. Well, her and cars." He laughed at that then started coughing. "Hey, take it easy there, Dad."

"I'm OK," he said as he finally stopped and settled down again. "Thank you for coming, Embry. And for staying with me. I'm embarrassed to admit, I was pretty scared when I woke up and couldn't move. I don't know how long I would have laid here if I didn't have you and your brother. This has never happened to me before."

"What did happen?"

"I have no idea. I can never remember anything when I wake up. It's all just a fog." He closed his eyes again and I could tell it was getting harder and harder for him to stay awake. But I wasn't sure if I should let him sleep or not.

"Hey, Dad, stay with me here, OK?"

"Yea, I'm here. I'm just pretty sleepy. I'm usually like this after I phase back. I always thought it was because maybe I don't sleep when I'm like that," he said slowly.

"I think I'll call Mom and give her a warning that we're coming." His eyes were closed, but he nodded.

I dialed home and she answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, Mom. Listen, I'm with Dad right now and we'll be home soon. I need you to know that he's hurt."

"What? Is it bad?" she asked anxiously.

I tried to fill her in quickly on what I knew. "Mom, Leah is bringing Dr. Cullen to our house to help fix Dad up. He's a good guy, and he knows what he's doing."

"Let me talk to him, Embry. Now," she demanded. I looked down at Dad and said, "She wants to talk to you." I held the phone to his ear and he said, "Hi, honey." I could hear Mom's voice, but not what she was saying.

Dad talked very softly and slowly. "I don't know what happened . . . yea, I called him . . . Sam's coming with the truck . . . honey, don't cry, I'll be OK. . . I love you, too," then he opened his eyes and looked at me and I knew he was done talking. He closed his eyes again.

"Mom, Dad's really tired and he needs to rest. Sam should be here soon and we'll get him home."

"Take care of him, Embry." I could tell she was crying.

"I will, Mom. Take care of yourself and little sissy, OK? Don't worry."

"I will. Thank you for being there for your dad."

"Yea, sure. Bye, Mom." I put the phone back into my pocked just as I saw headlights heading for us. It was Sam, thank God. He jumped out of the truck and hurried over. "How are we going to do this, bro?"

"Dad. Dad!" I said louder to wake him. His eyes opened and he saw Sam. "Hey, Sammy," he said. I smiled and looked at Sam. I saw something in Sam's eyes as Dad said that. A little bit of sadness.

"Um, Dad, we have to move you now," I said. I looked at Sam and said, "Maybe I should ride in the back of the truck with him? I don't know if he can sit up." Sam nodded and told me to go and get into the back of the truck. I watched as he leaned down and said softly, "I'm pretty sure this will hurt, but just hang on, OK?" Dad nodded and Sam put his arms under Dad and lifted him into his arms. I ran ahead and jumped into the back of the truck as Sam carried Dad over. I put the tail gate down and Sam very carefully laid Dad on the gate and I took his shoulders and pulled him into the truck. I sat down and put Dad's head onto my lap. Sam slammed the gate up and said, "Where are we going?"

"My house," I said. "I don't think Abby should see Dad like this." He nodded and got into the cab and we took off. I pulled my phone out and called Leah. "Hey, babe. We are on the road. OK, thanks." I put the phone away and held onto Dad as we drove. "Hang in there, Dad," I said to him. "I love you," I added. He gave me a small smile and held gave me a "thumbs up."


	63. Chapter 62

CHAPTER 62

Embry POV:

Sam and I had just put Dad on the bed when I heard Mom greet Carlisle. I heard Leah's voice, too, and I smiled. I knew she would come. Carlisle came to the bedroom door and walked over to the bed. He leaned over to look at Dad and said, "Hello, Mr. Uley. I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen. I'd like to help."

Dad was really weak by this time so he just nodded. I looked over at Carlisle and said, "Thanks for coming." He just patted me on the shoulder and said, "What have we got here?"

I tried to explain what I had seen of Dad's injuries. He looked Dad over as I talked then he said, "OK. Can you all give me a little time here with him and I'll examine him. I'll let you know what I find." Mom looked at me with tears running down her face and Leah put her arm around her shoulders and led her out the door. Sam followed them out. "Is it alright if I stay? Maybe I can help in some way?" I asked.

He smiled and nodded. He closed the door and brought over a huge black bag. He examined Dad and found three broken ribs. "By the look of the bruises around his rib cage, I would suspect he was squeezed very hard by something, or . . . someone."

"Newborn?" I guessed.

"Possibly." Dad had bruises all over him and scratches. He had a cut under his hairline, but once Carlisle cleaned it up, he thought it would heal without stitches. Then he examined Dad's leg. Dad cried out in pain as Carlisle worked his hands over the leg. "It's bad. It reminds me a lot of Jacob's leg when he was hurt in that fight with the newborns. His leg has already started healing just like Jacob's did. That means I'm going to have to re-break it and set it again." _Oh God, no. I remembered that night well, listening to Jake's screams._ I took a deep breath and said, "I'll help."

"Are you sure? It won't be easy on him. I'll give him some morphine, but he'll still cry out, I'm afraid."

"I know. I remember being there, than night with Jake. I can do it."

He smiled and nodded. "OK. I'll inject him with some morphine then we'll get started. I also want to start an IV drip. He's really dehydrated. Why don't you go out and tell your family so they'll understand what is happening." I nodded and bent down to talk to Dad.

"Hey, Dad?" He slowly opened his eyes. "Doc here says he has to reset your leg. It's not going to be pretty, but he's going to give you some morphine to help with the pain, OK?" He nodded. "I'm going out to tell Mom then I'll be back to help." He nodded again then moved to grab my arm. "What?"

"Love you, son," he managed to get out.

I smiled and kissed him on the forehead. "Yea, me, too." I looked up at Carlisle and he smiled at me. I walked over to the bedroom door and made my way to the living room. Mom jumped up and came to me.

"What's going on, Embry? Is he going to be alright?"

I put my hands on her upper arms and said, "Yea, Mom. He's a wolf. He'll heal quickly, don't worry. But, Carlisle is going to hook up an IV for fluids. Dad's really dehydrated. And . . . he has to re-break the leg to set it. The bones started to heal too soon and they're not lined up right."

"Just like Jake," Leah said slowly. I could see in her eyes she was remembering that night, too. I nodded and she hung her head. I glanced at Sam and could see the same look.

"Listen, Mom. Dad's going to scream and it's going to kill you to listen to it. We all went through this with Jake. But, the doctor is giving him morphine for the pain, so he'll be alright. Carlisle knows what he's doing. I trust him, OK?"

She just nodded as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. I pulled her to me and hugged her. "Oh Embry. I hate this," she mumbled into my shoulder.

"Yea, so does he. He really didn't want us to bring him here. He knew you would be upset." I pulled away and said, "I have to go. I told Carlisle I would help." I looked over at Sam and said, "Would you help, too? It may take both of us to hold him down." Sam nodded and turned toward the hall to go to the bedroom.

Leah came over and put her arm around Mom. "Thanks, babe," I said to her. I leaned over and kissed her and she smiled. Then I kissed Mom on the cheek and turned back to the bedroom. I closed the door and saw that the IV was in and he hung the bag up on a nail on the wall where a picture had been.

"I just gave him the morphine so I'll wait a couple of minutes to let it work through his body. I started with the same dose I gave Jacob. I know you told me he is a werewolf, too, but a little different from you?" he asked.

I tried to fill him in quickly on the differences between us and Dad. "Interesting . . . " he said. "So, he's more like the European werewolves, only the moon doesn't seem to have anything to do with his phasing." I shook my head. "I would like to talk to your father more about this."

"I think he would like to talk to you, too. He was amazed at how you can be a doctor, given your, um, you know."

"Being a vampire?"

I smiled. "Yea."

He smiled back. "It took me a couple of centuries to learn to tolerate the blood and not give into the urge." He opened one of Dad's eyes and flashed a light into it. "Alright, let's get started."

Sam stood at the head of the bed, and I stood at the foot. Carlisle told us to bear down and hold him as still as we could. We readied ourselves and Carlisle went to work. The first break, Dad screamed and I felt it go completely through me. I looked up at Sam and saw him flinch, too. Sam was practically laying on Dad to get him stay down. I was holding his legs as best I could, but it wasn't easy. Dad was really strong! And loud. But Carlisle worked quickly and finally, he stopped and said, "I think that should do it."

Dad relaxed and Sam and I both stood up. My arms ached from pushing down on Dad. I rolled my shoulders to try and release some of the tension. I noticed Sam do the same. Carlisle had me lift Dad's leg a little so he could put a leg brace on Dad's leg and Velcro it together. "He needs to leave this on at least three days. I would like to see him again to make sure it's healed properly. I would rather have done that surgically, but I didn't think it could wait for a ride to the hospital." He checked the IV bag and said, "I'll stay here a little while until this bag is gone. Then I'll hook up another one before I leave."

"I'll go out and see Mom and Leah," I told them. I walked out and found Mom sitting on the couch with her head in her hands. Leah was beside her, but she stood up and put her arms around me as soon as I stepped into the room. I held onto her and whispered, "God, that was hard."

"I know," she said as she rubbed my back. I pulled back and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Thanks for being here with Mom."

"Of course," she said.

I turned to Mom and sat down beside her. She sat up and looked at me. I told her what we did and what Carlisle said. She just nodded. She looked awful. "Mom, he'll be alright."

"I know, it's just . . . seeing him come home like that and hearing him scream . . . Embry, what the hell happened to him out there? And what's to keep it from happening again?"

She had me there. I wasn't sure what happened to him. It could have been a run-in with a newborn vampire, but there was nothing to keep it from happening again. I couldn't comfort her there. "He can't remember what happened," is all I said.

Sam walked out and said, "I need to get home, bro. Call me if anything changes?" I stood up and said, "Yea, sure."

"I'll come by tomorrow to see him again. Maybe I'll bring Lily. That always makes him happy," he added with a smile. It did. Dad loved being a grandpa. Mom stood up and hugged Sam. "Thank you, honey, for being there for your dad."

He actually looked a little embarrassed. "Sure," he said.

Sam started for the door and I caught up to him and said, "Thanks, bro. For helping me tonight. I couldn't have done that alone."

"Yea, you could have. You'd be surprised what you can do for someone you love. And you love him, Embry. I can see it. It's . . . cool how you just accepted him so fast as your dad and you never look back. I really admire that about you."

"It bugged you when he called you 'Sammy' tonight, didn't it?" I asked him.

He got that sad look in his eyes again and said, "Yea. He used to call me that when I was little. He was the only one that ever did. It, um, kind of got to me, you know?"

"Yea, but at least you had that with him. I didn't," I reminded him.

He nodded and smiled. "I know. I guess the old man is starting to grow on me."

I told him quickly what Carlisle had said about Dad's ribs and the bruises. "Alright. I'll step up the patrols and see what's out there. You and Leah get some rest. I may need you both tomorrow." I nodded.

"See you tomorrow, bro." He went out the door and jogged toward home. I closed the door and smiled. It made me happy to see him finally come around towards Dad.

Carlisle stayed for another hour and then he changed the IV bag and said this one would last until morning. He would be back then to check on Dad. I thanked him again and so did Mom and then before he left, I told him Sam was stepping up patrols to see what was out there. He told me he would have his family do the same and if they found anything, he would let us know right away. Then he was gone.

Mom went into the bedroom to sit with Dad and I sat down on the couch with Leah. I put my arm around her shoulders and slouched down to lean my head back on the cushion and stretch out my legs. She laid her head on my shoulder. "Not how I wanted this night to end," I said softly.

"I thought the same thing when you left my room tonight," she said. We were both quiet for a few minutes then she asked, "Embry?"

"Hmmm?"

"You're still thinking about the underwear, aren't you?"

I smiled. She knows me too well. I was thinking about the underwear and wondering if she was still wearing it. "Maybe," I answered.

"You're wondering if I'm still wearing it, aren't you?"

I laughed at that. "God, you know me so well!" She laughed, too. Then I said, "Well? Are you?"

She looked over at me. She wasn't wearing the purple shirt or jeans anymore. She had on some light grey running pants and a blue t-shirt. She smiled as she pulled up her t-shirt to show me the black, lacy bra. I smiled and turned toward her. I put my hand on the side of her face and said, "I am one helluva lucky guy." Then I kissed her and it quickly escalated to an inappropriate level. I wanted her so much, and knew with my parents in the house that wouldn't be a good idea. I broke away and said quickly, "Follow me."

She looked at me curiously, then got up and followed me outside. I closed the door softly and led her to the truck. We climbed in and I said, "Lay down." She laid on her back and said, "Embry, we can't here. What if someone walks up to the truck?"

"Baby, at this point, I don't fucking care who's watching. I want you so much and I can't wait any longer." I pulled her t-shirt off and ran my hand over her bra. She reached around and unhooked it for me so I could feel what was under it. She moaned softly and I crawled on top of her and kissed her until we were both breathless. I managed to pull her pants off and run my hand over her black panties. She arched her back and dug her nails into my shoulders as my fingers did some exploring. I couldn't take it. I pulled my shorts down, pushed her panties to the side and drove into her. It was like a long drink of water after days in the desert. I moved slowly until she cried out, begging me to go faster. I drove into her over and over until she squeezed her legs around me and she yelled, "Yes, oh yes!" and I felt her contract around me. Then . . . sweet release. I tried hard to catch my breath. "Oh baby, that felt so good," I told her.

"I never imagined when I bought this underwear, it would make you so crazy," she said panting.

I laughed. "Are you fucking kidding me? You have no idea how sexy you are, Leah. That image of you will stay in my head for weeks."

"Oh no, please don't phase around Seth," she begged. "I would hate for him to see that."

"I won't, I promise. He would kick my ass for sure." I propped myself up to look down at her. "You are so gorgeous. I can't wait to marry you."

She smiled a most brilliant smile. "I can't wait to marry you either. Then we won't have to sneak out to the truck for sex." Then she gave me a look and said, "Well, maybe once in awhile, just for fun." I laughed at that and she joined me. This girl was incredible. And she was all mine.

The next morning, Carlisle came back as promised and checked on Dad. He had given him enough morphine before he left that Dad slept most of the night. He took out the IV and checked him over. "Feels like your ribs have healed fine. Any pain?" he asked as he felt around with his hands.

"No," Dad said. The bruises had yellowed but I knew they would disappear by tomorrow. They did when Leah was hurt by that newborn. Everything was doing better, except the leg. Carlisle removed the brace and tried to feel around, but Dad was squeezing my hand and trying so hard not to cry out in front of Mom that he stopped. "This is going to take time, Joshua. I'll leave some pain meds for you, but no more morphine."

Dad just nodded and tried to relax back into the pillows. He let go of my hand and I flexed it trying to get the blood flowing again. Carlisle gave Mom a prescription for some pain pills then he told Dad, "Rest here today, but by tomorrow, you should get up and try to move around. Maybe even by tonight. The fluids I gave you should have re-hydrated you, but please continue to drink water, and eat. If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to call me."

Dad smiled at him and said, "I don't how to thank you. I really owe you."

"Tell you what. When you are feeling better, let's get together and talk. I am very curious about your kind of werewolf. It's something I've never come across before."

"Well, now that you mention it, I don't believe I've ever sat down with a vampire before, so it could be interesting for me as well," Dad said with a smile.

Carlisle laughed and said, "You have a deal. Rest, and why don't you come and see me at the hospital day after tomorrow and I'll check that leg for you?"

"Alright. Thank you, Dr. Cullen."

"Please, call me Carlisle." He held his hand out to Dad, who took it gladly and shook it. Then Carlisle said goodbye and left.

Mom decided to make Dad some breakfast, so she kissed him and walked out to the kitchen. I sat down on the edge of the bed and Dad said, "I think I remember him saying last night that he thinks these bruises around my ribs were caused by a newborn? What did he mean by that?"

"A newborn is a new vampire. Vampires are at their strongest and most deadly in their first year. We had a fight with a very large number of them last year. Jake was hurt by one who picked him up, squeezed the shit out of him then smashed him into the ground. You've seen how big we are when we're wolves. That's how strong a newborn can be. Leah got into it with one a few months back and it did the same to her, but it only broke a few ribs and her arm. She was fine the next day. Jake took about three days to heal."

He nodded. "So, these newborns, is this something you have around here a lot?"

"No. The big fight had to do with Bella, Jake's girlfriend. That's a long story. The one with Leah was just three newborn stragglers that went through here. We got all three of them," I told him.

He shook his head as he looked at me. "You amaze me, son. Sitting here, talking about killing vampires. No big deal."

I laughed. "Well, it's what we do, Dad. It's why we're here. You know the legends."

"Yes, I do. So, why is there a vampire doctor taking care of me?"

"Well, yea, that's kind of sketchy. We don't have a doctor of our own. We hope that Seth might go to college and be one for us someday. But, to go to a regular doctor with a body temp of 108, and then with the fast-healing thing, it just doesn't work. So, when Jake was hurt, Doc went to his house and treated him, and I guess, we just kind of rely on him. He's a good vampire, if there is such a thing."

Dad laughed at that. "Well, there must be. He is a nice guy."

Mom came in with a cup of coffee for each of us. I helped Dad sit up and Mom made sure he had enough pillows behind him. Then she handed him the coffee. "Thanks, honey," he said.

"I'll be back with breakfast," she told him. She came back a few minutes later with a plate of eggs and bacon. He dug in saying he couldn't believe how hungry he was all of a sudden. She brought me a plate, too, so I sat down and ate breakfast with him. As I ate, I thought about what Sam said last night about how he could see that I loved Dad. And how I just accepted him without looking back. I did love my dad. I lived my whole life without him, and now that he was here, I couldn't imagine being without him. He was damn lucky last night that he wasn't killed. Whatever was out there, I wanted to help find it and kill it before it hurt someone else I loved.

I finished my breakfast and told Mom and Dad, "I'm heading over to Sam's. He told me to rest up because he would need me today."

"You be careful out there, son," Dad said anxiously.

I smiled. "I will, Dad. I know what I'm doing."

Mom hugged me and said, "Don't get cocky, boy. Listen to your father."

I laughed at that. "Yes, ma'am," I said. "I'll see you two later." I pointed at Dad and said, "Behave!"

"Will do," he said.

I left them and walked out the front door. As I passed my truck, I had to smile. I would never be able to get rid of that truck. It held some great memories. I took off at a jog for the woods then I phased and ran for Sam's.

Right before I got to Sam's I heard Leah. _"I thought you were going to be good and not think about me in that underwear."_

"_I can't help it, baby! I walked by the truck on the way here and it all came back to me. Where are you?"_

"_On my way to Sam's. I should be there in less than five."_

"_I'll wait for you."_

"_How's Josh?"_

"_Much better. Carlisle came by this morning to take a look. He took the IV out and told him to rest. Dad's supposed to go to the hospital to see him on Monday."_

"_Good. Did your mom get any sleep?"_

"_A little. She was a wreck for awhile."_

"_I know. I felt so bad for her last night. Almost there."_

I phased and pulled on my shorts just as she came into the clearing. She phased and said with her sexy smile, "Oh, I'm too late."

"I can take them off if you want. Just say the word, baby!" I told her with a grin.

She walked up to me and kissed me. Then she reached down and untied her shorts and tank top. "I think we need to find just a little self control, Embry," she said as she pulled on her clothes.

"Well, what fun is there in that?" She laughed and said, "None. But I don't want my little brother to come along and find me rolling around naked in the woods with you, OK?"

"Fine. Let's go," I pouted. She smiled and took my hand as we walked up to Sam's house. Leah walked in the back door quietly, in case the baby was sleeping and I followed her into the kitchen. "Hey, Emily," she said. "Good, the baby's awake!" She walked over to the baby, who was sitting in a baby seat on the counter. "Hey pretty girl," Leah said as she lifted the baby out and held her close.

I smiled and said, "Hey, sis. How ya doing?"

"I'm fine. How's your dad today?" I told her what Carlisle said and how he ate some breakfast. "Good. I know Sam was pretty shook up when he came home last night."

That kind of surprised me. "Yea, Dad was busted up, but he'll be OK." Sam walked into the room and I had to repeat what I just told Emily. He nodded and said, "Good. I'm glad he's healing."

"Leah and I came over to patrol. Anyone find anything yet?"

Sam shook his head. "No. You two can take over for Jared and Paul. They are supposed to check in with me in about 30 minutes."

I nodded and looked over to find Leah babbling to the baby. Sam looked at me and smiled. We hung out with them until Jared and Paul came in. Sam met them with "Anything?"

"No new leech trails," Paul said sounding disappointed.

"We ran the treaty line and Emmett told us they haven't heard of vamps in the area or seen anything on their side," added Jared. They both plopped down at the kitchen table and helped themselves to a sandwich from the platter Emily had put there.

"I have to go to work at three so we better get going, babe," Leah said. She had put the baby in Sam's arms and was dragging me out the door.

"I guess we're going! See ya!" I called. We headed out the back door and into the woods. Leah stopped and stripped down then tied her clothes to her ankle. "Come on, slow poke!" she said with a smile. "Now you're going to have to catch up to me!" She took off and phased on the run. I smiled as I finished tying my shorts to me. _This might be fun!_ I ran and phased knowing that I really had no chance to catch her, but I was going to have fun trying.

I did finally catch up to her, but only because she slowed down for me. We ran our patrol and found nothing. Whoever it was that attacked Dad must not have stayed around. I guess that's a good thing, but I really would have felt better had we found it and taken care of it. I didn't want it coming back.

"_I'm heading home, Embry. I have to get to work. I get off work at nine tonight, so I'll call you when I get home."_

"_Yea, OK." I moved close to her and put my head next to hers. "I miss you, baby."_

"_Me, too." _We stayed close for a moment then we went our separate ways – she turned home to get ready for work and I turned toward Sam's. It seemed like lately, we were apart more than we were together. I decided then and there, I would have to do something about that. And soon.


	64. Chapter 63

CHAPTER 63

Leah POV:

I closed the restaurant door behind me and walked out into the night toward my Jeep. I stayed a little late to close out the cash drawer for Lucy, who usually does it, but had to go home early tonight because she didn't feel well. I felt like I was dragging my ass behind me as I walked toward my car. I was really beat. Running a patrol then coming in and spending six hours on my feet, was a bit much.

I turned the corner to where I parked the Jeep and felt someone grab my arm! "Hello, Leah," I heard as I whipped around. "Josiah? What are you doing here?" It was Josiah alright, but he looked a lot different from the last time I saw him. His hair was long and dirty, he had a scraggly beard and his clothes were wrinkled.

He smiled at me then put his arms around me and pulled me close. "God, I missed you so much, Leah. It's so good to see you!"

I gave him a small hug then tried to step back. He held on tight and I started to really feel uncomfortable. I looked around and noticed the street was pretty dead at this time on a Sunday night. "Josiah, please," I said as I again tried to step back. This time he let me.

"Wow, you look so beautiful! Your hair is longer," he said as he ran his hand through my hair.

"Um, yea. So, aren't you supposed to be at the rez up north? " I asked as I took another step back.

His smile disappeared and his eyes shifted a little. "I hated there, Leah. It was . . . horrible. I couldn't stay."

"When did you leave?"

"What day is it now?"

"Sunday."

"Um, I think I left on Wednesday, maybe. I don't know. I kind of phased in and out." It dawned on me that Josiah could have been the one that hurt Josh. Did they do that to each other? "Does your brother know you're back?" I asked.

He looked down. "No. I came right here to see you." He looked back up at me. "You're the only one that cares, Leah. He doesn't care about me." He reached down and grabbed my hand.

"I'm sure he does. Maybe you should call him," I suggested.

"No!" he yelled. "He'll make me go back." He started shaking his head back and forth as he said, "I'm not going back there. I won't!"

He squeezed my hand and I decided I better come up with a plan and quick. I wasn't sure if he would phase, or if he would try to kidnap me again. I said as I reached for my purse, "I better call my mom. She'll worry if I'm not home on time." I pulled out my phone. He eyed me warily. "Then I can talk to you, OK?" He finally nodded, and I pressed the button for Embry. _Please God, let him pick up_.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mom. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be a little late. I ran into an OLD friend from UP NORTH and I am going to talk to him for a little bit, OK?"

"Leah? What the hell? This is Embry."

"Yea, I know. I won't be long. I'm still here in town. OK?"

"You're trying to tell me something."

"Yes! I gotta go. Bye." _Please, Embry, think about it and decide to come over here and investigate_. "Sorry about that," I said to Josiah. "Since my dad died, she worries about me and Seth more."

"I get that," he said. He was pacing a little, like he couldn't stand still. He was really worked up. "Josiah? What's wrong?" I had to keep him talking.

"What's wrong? Are you fucking serious? Leah, I have just spent months in Hell! Never knowing from one day to the next if I was a wolf or a man. It's like living in a nightmare! The only thing that kept me going was thinking about you."

He put his hands on my upper arms and looked into my eyes. I backed up a little, but he tightened his grip on me and the next thing I knew his lips were grinding against mine. I put my hands on his chest and shoved as hard as I could and he stumbled back. "Stop it! I didn't say you could kiss me," I said to him angrily. I wiped my lips with the back of my hand.

"Leah, please. It's all I've been thinking about for months. That kiss we shared right before I left. I know you care about me. I could feel it when you kissed me. Please, I'm sorry I was so rough. It's just that it's been so long since I've felt human." He stepped close to me again and reached for me and I jumped back.

"No, Josiah. I'm sorry, but I'm engaged . . . to Embry. Remember, I told you that I love Embry. Well, he proposed and I said yes." I held out my hand to show him the ring.

I could see anger creep into his eyes at that bit of news. "Leah, how could you? How could you do that to me? You're supposed to be mine," he said angrily.

"Why would you think that? I never gave you any . . ."

"Yes you did!" he yelled. "You were so kind to me when I first found out what kind of fucking monster I had become. You showed me kindness and you cared about me. And every time we talked, you acted like you understood how scared I was. I told you about this connection I feel to you . . . and you let me hug you and kiss you. You had to know how I felt about you!" He grabbed me and kissed me again. "I love you, Leah. I need you." He tried to kiss me again and I slapped him across the face.

"Stop it, Josiah! Yes, I showed you kindness and I told you I cared about you, but AS A FRIEND! I told you that I loved Embry. You know that. Do not try and kiss me again!" I was angry and I knew that I could phase and take him out. I didn't want to hurt him, but I would if I had to.

Rage crept into his face. Before I realized what he was thinking, he whipped me around so that my back was against his chest, then with one arm around my chest and one around my throat, he squeezed me so tightly to him that I couldn't breathe. "You're mine, Leah. Do you hear me? Mine!" he hissed into my ear. That's the last thing I heard before everything went black.

Embry POV:

_What the hell was that all about? Why would she call me and pretend she was talking to her mom? _I sat there staring at the phone wondering what she was trying to tell me. _She ran into a friend? I knew all of her friends. Why didn't she just say who it was? An old friend from up north . . . Josiah!_ Pain shot through me as I remembered walking into her house to find them kissing. How it almost broke us up. _Why would she call me, pretending to talk to her mom, to let me know . . . she was scared and she didn't want him to know that she was calling me. Oh God. She wanted me to come and help. _

I jumped off of the couch and headed to Mom and Dad's room. I knocked and heard Dad say, "Come in."

I opened the door and said, "Leah just called. She's in trouble and I have to go and help. It's Josiah."

Dad looked surprised at that. "He's here?"

"Yes. I have to go. I have no idea when I'll be home."

"Go! But be careful!" he called after me. I flew through the living room and out the door. I ran into the woods and striped off my shorts. _She said she was still in town. He must have met her outside the restaurant when she got off of work._ I ran and phased on the fly. I just hoped I could get there before he did something stupid like try to kidnap her again.

I ran into the small downtown area, which wasn't too far from my house. I stopped behind the gas station and peered around. I didn't see anyone in front of the restaurant. I phased back into human form and slipped on my shorts. I ran across the street to the restaurant. It was locked up and the lights were off. I didn't see anyone inside. I walked down the street and around the corner and saw Leah's Jeep. I jogged over and found her purse laying on the sidewalk next to the car. Her cell phone was on top. _Shit! He took her! Damnit all to Hell! _

I grabbed her cell phone and dialed Sam. "Yea," he answered.

"Sam! Josiah has Leah . . . again! She called me just a few minutes ago with some coded message. By the time I figured out she was talking about Josiah and got here, she was gone." I told him how I found her purse laying on the sidewalk next to the Jeep, with her cell phone.

"Shit! I'll put out the call and we'll search the area. You follow the trail from town. I'll send Seth to find you. Go!"

I picked up Leah's keys, unlocked the Jeep and threw her stuff inside. Then I ran for the woods so I could phase and find a trail. As soon as I was in my wolf body, I put my nose to the ground and picked up a scent. _Where would he take her?_ I thought about the cave where he had taken Abby, and the barn where he had taken Leah before. The trail wasn't heading in that direction. It wasn't long before Seth found me.

"_I found a scent. I've been following it." _Seth fell into step beside me and we followed the trail as it led us through the woods. I wondered if he was heading for the Makah Reservation. Would he be taking her back to his farm? Then I heard something, so I slowed up and hid behind some bushes. Seth stopped beside me. We peered through the brush to see Josiah lay Leah down on the ground. He leaned down over her and carefully brushed her hair away from her face then he grazed her forehead with his lips. I wanted to rush him and kill him right then, but he was too close to Leah. I didn't want her to get hurt. So, I waited and watched.

"Leah, I'm sorry. I just needed to be alone with you. Just for a little bit," Josiah said to her. He sat down and gathered her into his arms. Seth nudged me. _"We have to wait, dude. I don't want her hurt."_

"_How long do we wait? I don't want this creep touching her!"_

"_Neither do I. It's killing me right now."_

Josiah was combing his fingers through her hair. It was almost like she was a doll, or something. He was just holding her and rocking back and forth. It was pathetic. Then he looked down at her and kissed her on the lips. His hand moved to her shirt and slipped inside. Rage ran through me at lightning speed! Just as Seth and I were ready to pounce, Leah grabbed his hand and threw it off of her and jumped up. That's when Seth and I made our move.

We burst through the brush, growling and snarling and I ran right for him. I knocked him back and stood over him with one of my huge paws on his chest. He was looking up at me like some scared little boy. I heard Leah say, "Bout time you got here." Seth went to stand beside her.

Josiah looked up at me and said, "Do it. Just kill me and end this miserable fucking life of mine. I can't take it anymore. If I can't have Leah, there's no reason to live." He closed his eyes and just laid there. I stood over him and wanted to kill him. I was sick of him and I knew we would always have to worry about him coming back for Leah. But, I couldn't do it. I wanted to, but with him just laying there, it didn't seem right. I backed off and went to stand on the other side of Leah. He opened his eyes and just looked at the three of us.

Then he stood up and shouted at me, "What? You can't kill me? What kind of pussy werewolf are you? I stole your girl and I would have fucked her if you hadn't come to her rescue! It's all I've been thinking about for months. How she would feel under me. Come on, Embry. Give me your worst!"

I was shaking. Leah had her hand in the fur at my neck. I knew she could feel the rage running through me. I knew he was just provoking me to get me to kill him. God, he was so pathetic. I wanted to tell him that. Tell him what I thought of him. So, I stepped back away from Leah and phased into human form and stood up to him. "If you want to die so damn bad, you'll have to do it yourself, you fucking coward. But you will never touch Leah again, do you understand? You touch her again, and I _will_ kill you. And I will enjoy it."

He smiled then. A crazed smile. "You think I'm a coward? You have no fucking idea the hellish life I live. I've tried to find a way to get used to it, but it's impossible. I don't want to live like an animal. Waking up naked somewhere covered in bites, and bruises, sometimes broken bones, and I have no fucking idea what happened to me. He squeezed his eyes shut and said slowly, "Always having the taste of blood on my tongue, and in my nose."

I glanced at Leah. She was staring at him. I said quietly, "Don't do it, Leah. Don't feel sorry for him."

"I know, but I can't help it. I keep thinking about your dad," she replied.

_My dad. My dad. Could he be the one that hurt my dad? "_Damnit"!I looked at Josiah and said, "You've been here for a couple of days, haven't you? You came here as a werewolf, and I'll be you were the one that hurt my dad."

"What? I came here for Leah," he answered.

"But you don't remember, do you? Neither does he. But he's home right now with his leg in pieces because of you. I would bet money on it."

He just kept staring at Leah and it was really creeping me out. I had no idea what to do with him. Maybe I should just kill him and get it over with. Then Leah took a step toward him. "Josiah? I'm sorry that you have to live like that, I really am," she said to him. "But, I can't love you. As much as you want that, it's never going to happen. I am going to marry Embry."

I could see the pain in his eyes as she talked. "Josiah, listen to me," she said as she walked closer to him. "Josh got through this and so will you. He spent nine years living up there. But while he was there, he learned to listen to his body, and know when he was going to phase. He found a way to live with it and so can you. Now he lives here with us, and he is married and expecting a child in June. Someday, you can have that, too."

She reached out and touched his face as a tear rolled down his cheek. "But not with you," he said.

She shook her head and said, "No, I'm sorry. It can't be with me. But there is someone out there for you. I know there is. And you'll find her and forget all about me."

"I don't know how I could ever forget about you, Leah." She allowed him to pull her close to him. My hands flexed into fists. I wanted to kick the shit out of him right now. Then he looked at me over Leah's shoulder . . . and smiled. He let his hand run down her back and lay on her ass. That was enough for me. I rushed at them and he pushed Leah out of the way to meet me head on. We hit the ground and rolled. I could hear Seth growling and I knew he wanted to jump in, but he stayed still for now.

I got one good punch in before Josiah rolled on top of me and looked down at me. He had his hand on my throat and I was struggling to breath. "Instead of you killing me, why don't I kill you? Then Leah would be mine. You are the only thing standing in our way."

I struggled trying to get enough air in my lungs to move. His eyes were crazed and he was staring at me as he squeezed. Just then, a wolf came flying over us, knocking him off of me. As I struggled for air, I looked to see it was Leah that had saved me. She was on top of him, holding him down and snarling. Seth was right beside her. I got up and staggered my way over to them. I looked down at Josiah and said, "Apparently, I'm not the only thing standing in your way. I think Leah has something to say about it, too."

Leah looked at me and I could see her smiling at me with her eyes. Josiah just lay there. He knew he had nothing now. Leah backed off and I grabbed Josiah and pulled him up onto his feet. Then I punched him in the gut and he bent over and cried out. "That's for almost killing me." He made the mistake of standing up and looking at me. Then I kneed him hard in the crotch and he crumpled to the ground, moaning. "And that is for touching Leah." He rolled to his side in a fetal position, holding his balls. "You will NEVER touch her again."

I looked at Leah and said, "Sorry, babe, but you're mine and I am the only one that is allowed to grab your ass." Seth must have said something to Leah because she nodded to him and he ran off into the woods. I realized he must have heard Sam. I smiled and put my hand into her fur. I had turned my back to Josiah, which I should have learned is a mistake. I seem to recall Jasper telling us that when he was teaching us to fight the newborns. _"Never turn your back on your enemy." _I should have listened closer.

Josiah kicked out his leg and knocked me off of my feet then he grabbed my shoulders and pinned me to the ground. "I hate you, Embry ," he hissed into my face. "I will have my revenge on you. " Then he stood up and looked at Leah for a fleeting second before he ran. Leah just stood there. I looked up at her and said, "Why are you just standing there? Run! You're faster than he is. You could catch him!" But she didn't move.

I jumped up and said, "Damnit, Leah! He will always be out there, always coming for you! Don't you get that? I should have killed him when I had the chance. SHIT!" I turned to run after him and I heard the crackle in the air as she phased back to her human self. I turned to see her standing there, beautifully naked as she said, "Please, Embry. Let him go. He should have a chance at life, like your dad did."

I walked over to her and yelled, "What the hell is wrong with you? He would have raped you if we hadn't found you. He admitted to that. He's been thinking about fucking you for months, did you not hear that? Leah, he will come back for you. He just told me he would have his revenge on me. We can't let him go."

I could see tears in her eyes. "I know, but I just can't see us killing him. It's not right. I'm sorry."

I sighed and pulled her to me. "Leah, baby, you make me crazy. Why do you have to have such a good heart?"

I could hear her laugh into my shoulder. "I don't know. It's a curse, I guess."

"Right now, it really is." I held her close to me for awhile then I pulled away to look at her. "Where are your clothes?" I asked.

She smiled at me sheepishly. "Um, all over the ground . . . in pieces." I laughed at that. She had been in a hurry to save me, and she phased through her clothes. "Seth will be back here any minute with Sam and Paul. I need to phase back."

I nodded and stepped back. She took a few steps and phased. I smiled and did the same. We could hear Seth and Sam and Paul. They were almost here. _"You have to be the one to tell them, Leah. I want Sam to be pissed at you, not me."_

"_Tell me what? What will I be pissed about?" _Sam threw in.

"_I let him go."_

"_Leah? What the hell?" _Just then they burst into the clearing. _"Embry, which way did he go? Maybe we can still catch him."_

"_He ran to the east. He has about a five minute head start on you." _Sam and Paul ran off in the same direction as Josiah. Seth stood with us.

"_Leah, why would you let him go? He'll keep coming back for you, don't you get that?"_

"_Yes, Seth, I get that. But, I just didn't want to see him killed because of me. It's not right. He deserves a chance to figure things out like Josh did."_

"_Damnit! I'm going with them, Leah. And I hope we catch him." _He ran off to join Sam and Paul.

"_What about you? Are you going off to hunt him down, too?"_

"_No. I'm taking you home and staying with you to keep you safe. Let's go."_

"_Good idea, bro. Don't let her out of your sight!" _Sam interjected.

"_Oh I won't. Believe me."_ I nudged Leah and we turned to run toward home.

We stopped at the back of her house. She phased back into human form and so did I. She stood there and looked at me. "I know you're really pissed at me, but I believe I did the right thing."

I stepped up to her and said, "I'm not so sure of that, but I understand why you think it is. I hate that I had the moment, and I blew it. I should have killed him, Leah. I'm convinced that he will never give up on you." She looked up at me and I took her face into my hands. "I can't stand the thought of him . . . touching you. Or taking you away from me. You are mine, Leah. You belong to me now, and I belong to you. Nothing, or no one, will ever change that." I looked down at her lips and knew that the taste of his lips was still there. I crushed my lips to hers to take it away. Then I remembered how his hand had slipped inside her shirt and my hand moved up to her breast to wipe his touch away. I then ran my hands down her body and around to her ass, the last place he had touched her, and I took that memory away as I grabbed it and pressed myself into her and she moaned.

I had this primal need to mark her somehow, to claim her and make her completely mine. As I kissed her, I ran my hands over her body. "Leah, I need to take his scent from you. I need to make you mine. Now." I laid her down right there behind her house and staked my claim on her. It was very intense and shook both of us. And when it was over and we stared into each other's eyes, I knew we had a bond that could never be broken. We belonged only to each other . . . forever.

I walked her to the back door of her house and said, "Leah, please go inside and go to bed and stay there. I need to find out what's going on. I'm going to phase and find out and if there is anything to tell you, I will come inside and let you know, OK?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry, Embry."

I smiled at her. "I know, baby. I just want you to be safe." I kissed her gently on the lips and opened the back door for her. She looked at me and touched my lips with her finger then she walked inside and shut the door.

I turned and phased back into wolf form and tried to pick up what was going on. _"Sam! Did you find him?"_

"_Where have you been? I've been trying to talk to you for awhile now!"_

"_Sorry, we phased to talk and I sent Leah inside to bed. I'm in her back yard now keeping watch. What the hell is going on?"_

"_We found him and kicked the shit out of him. I'm just not sure what to do with him now."_

"_Is he still alive?"_

"_Yea. He's pretty beat up though. I figured it was payback for what he did to Dad."_

"_I don't know, Sam. I wished I would have killed him when I had the chance, but Leah does not want him killed because of her so I can't make that decision. But I'm afraid he'll never give up on her. He told me tonight that he hated me and he would have his revenge on me. You're the Alpha, bro. It's your call."_

"_Alright. Against my better judgment, I will honor Leah's wishes and not kill him. We'll take him home and let his brother know that if he ever crosses onto our land again, or seeks Leah out when she is off of our land, we will kill him. Three strikes and you're out."_

"_OK. I'll tell Leah. Thanks, man. I think he's getting off way too easy."_

"_Me, too."_

I phased and pulled on my shorts then I walked over to the back door and quietly let myself in. I snuck up the stairs and opened Leah's bedroom door then closed it behind me. She was in bed, but not sleeping. She sat up when I walked in. I sat beside her and told her what Sam had told me.

"Thank you. I know that wasn't an easy decision for either of you."

"No, Leah, it wasn't. We care about you, not him. If he ever tries to contact you again, he's dead. Period."

She nodded and settled back against the pillows. "I don't know how I'll get to sleep tonight. I keep seeing his face. He's so tortured and I just wish there was something I could do to help him."

"Leah, why do you feel so sorry for this guy? Do you really not get that he is obsessed with you? That he will do anything to have you?"

"Yes, I get that. But, I don't know. Maybe he's right about there being some sort of connection between us. Because no matter what he does, I always come back to feeling bad for him. And . . . caring about him. Not romantically, Embry. I have no desire to be with him that way. When he kisses me, I don't feel anything buy pity for him. But . . . I don't know. I know I should hate him, but for some reason, I can't. I don't get it. I'm kind of afraid it's because he imprinted on me."

"What?"

"Yea, I've been thinking that for awhile. After he came here before he left to go north. I kept getting that feeling. But, I don't love him. It's not like Rachel or Kim . . . I don't have this intense desire to be with him romantically or sexually. It's like this intense feeling of friendship. I don't know . . . it's just so weird. But maybe that's why he feels he can't give up on me. Because of imprinting?"

It was an interesting theory, but if it was an imprint, then why didn't she love him back? "But, with an imprint, he is supposed to be whatever you need him to be. Like Quil with Claire. She needs him to be her protector, her big brother, so that's what he is. You don't want him as a lover, but only as a friend, yet he keeps trying to make you love him."

"I know it doesn't make sense."

We sat there in silence for awhile, each of us with our own theories. Suddenly, I realized how tired I was. My eyelids were so heavy and all I wanted to do was lay down and sleep. "I better go. I'm beat and I'm falling asleep just sitting here." I stood up and Leah caught my hand.

"Stay here. With me."

I smiled. "Oh baby, you have no idea how much I want that. But what about your Mom? I don't know that she would approve."

"I don't care. We're engaged, Embry. But if you're really worried about that, I'll set an alarm and wake you early enough for you to sneak back out. OK?"

That did sound good. I loved sleeping with her. I smiled and said, "OK. Let's do that." She scooted over and set the alarm while I crawled into bed. "God, this feels good," I said as I stretched out. She moved over to snuggle up against me and I put my arm around her. "I'm so glad you're safe, baby."

"I feel safe now," she replied. We were both asleep in no time.


	65. Chapter 64

CHAPTER 64

Leah POV:

I woke up to the alarm, something I never enjoyed. I rolled over and turned it off then looked over at Embry. I actually slept so soundly with him here. I kissed him on the cheek and said softly, "Hey, baby. Time to get up." He grunted and rolled over. "Come on, you need to go home and I need to get ready for school." He opened one eye and looked at me. Then he reached out and grabbed me and pinned me. "Let's just stay here all day," he whispered as he kissed my neck.

"Mmmm, I would love to, but I can't. I have a test today." He was working his way down my neck onto my chest. "Baby, you need to get out of here before Mom and Seth get up."

He stopped and looked at me. "Are you being a fun-sucker?"

I laughed. "Yes, I'm sorry, but I'm being a fun-sucker."

"Fine," he sighed. He rolled out of bed and reached for his shorts and pulled them on. I crawled out and stood beside him. He leaned down and kissed me. "Call me after school?"

"Yes, I promise." He kissed me again and snuck out the door and down the stairs. I smiled and headed for the bathroom.

I showered and dressed and grabbed some breakfast then I picked up my book bag and headed for the Jeep. I was proud of myself at getting out of the house by seven! I walked outside and looked around. _Shit. The Jeep was still in town! Along with my purse and cell phone. _Great. Now I would miss my first class for sure.

I slung my messenger bag over my head and around to my back and took off running toward town. It was about two miles, but I ran fast so it didn't take me too long to get there. I looked inside to see my purse laying on the floor, and my keys beside it. I reached for the door handle and hoped that Embry hadn't locked the door. He didn't. I was lucky that I got here before anyone else! I reached inside for the keys and walked around to get into the driver's side. I opened the door and saw a piece of paper on the seat. I picked it up then crawled in to sit down and close the door. It looked like a note of some kind. I unfolded it and read it:

_Dear Leah,_

_I'm sorry that things didn't go well last night. I wanted so much to tell you how much I love you and to show you what you mean to me. I have been dreaming of making love to you for months. But HE had to show up and RUIN everything! I know you care about me and if he wasn't around, you would love me. I will take care of things, don't worry. We will be together and be what we were meant to be – lovers, not just friends. I still have the taste of your lips on mine . . ._

_You are always in my heart, Josiah_

My hand was shaking as I let the paper drop to my lap. _Oh God. He was going after Embry!_ I reached over and grabbed my cell phone and dialed Embry. His phone rang and rang then I got his voice mail. _Shit! _"Embry! Please call me as soon as you get this message. I have a note from Josiah. He's coming after you! Please be careful!" I hung up and sat there trying to decide what to do. I was already late for my first class. I had to make sure that Embry was alright. I started the engine and headed for his house.

I pulled up beside his truck and ran up the steps to bang on the front door. His mom answered, still dressed in her pajamas. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Angie, I know it's early, but I really need to see Embry. It's very important. I tried to call him, but I got his voice mail." She nodded and stepped aside so I could come in. I ran back to his bedroom and opened the door. My heart fell as I looked at his empty bed. Angie had come up behind me. I turned to look at her. "He didn't come home?"

"I don't know. He told us he was going to help you, that you were in some kind of trouble. He said he didn't know when he would be home. Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, but now I'm afraid that Embry is in trouble."

"Leah, what the hell is going on?" Josh asked from the bedroom door. He was leaning on the door frame, dressed in a t-shirt and his gym shorts still wearing his leg brace. Angie rushed over to his side and said, "You shouldn't have gotten up without me to help you."

"I'm fine, Angie, stop fussing." He made his way to the couch, with Angie's help, and sat down. "Leah, sit down and tell me what the hell is going on with you two. Embry said last night he thought it had to do with Josiah."

I sat down and tried to tell him very quickly what had happened last night. Then I showed him the creepy note I found in my car this morning. "I'm afraid he's going after Embry. He left my house around six this morning to come home and sleep. And he's not here. I have to call Sam." I pulled out my cell phone and called Sam.

"Yea!" he answered rather grumpily.

"Sam, I'm so sorry to wake you. I know it was a long night, but Embry is missing and I'm afraid Josiah went after him."

"What? Leah, we beat the shit out of Josiah and took him back to his brother's house. He couldn't have made it back down here in the shape he was in that fast."

"Well he did because I found a note from him inside my Jeep this morning. And as I read it, I realized that he means to get rid of Embry in some strange attempt to get me to love him. And now, I can't find Embry!"

"Did you check his house?"

"Of course I did. I'm here right now. He left my house at six this morning, but he never came home."

"Damnit! I knew we should have killed him, Leah, no matter what you wanted. The guy is fucked up. If he's hurt my brother . . . "

"I know, Sam. I'm sorry. Just help me find Embry, OK?" I begged.

"Of course I will. I'll meet you in the woods behind his house." And with that, he hung up. I looked at Josh and Angie and said, "I'm going out to look for him." I stood up and Josh said, "Leah, you can't go alone. You're his main target. We can't have you disappear again."

"Sam is going with me. He's meeting me in a few minutes."

"Damn this leg! I should be out there looking for my son!" Josh shouted. He tried to stand up and Angie and I both stopped him.

"Look, I understand that, really I do. And Embry will understand, too. Please just stay here and heal. He may need you when we bring him home, OK?" Josh just nodded and put his head in his hands. I sat down beside him to hug him. He hugged my back and whispered, "Please find him and bring him home." I pulled back and said, "I will. I promise." Angie put her hand on my arm and squeezed. "I need to change into some different clothes. I'll be back."

I ran out to the Jeep and opened the door and grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top that I kept in the back for emergencies such as this. I slammed the door and ran back into the house to Embry's room to change my clothes. I left his room to make my way to the front door.

Angie stood up and walked towards me as she said, "Leah, you know this is a trap. He has Embry because he knows you'll come to find him. Then he'll have you both."

"I don't care. I can't live without Embry. I'm going to find him," I said defiantly. Angie hugged me and said, "I hope you do. Please be careful and bring him home to me."

"I will." When she let me go I could see the tears in her eyes. I had to get out of there quickly before I gave into the tears that had been threatening me all morning. I needed to keep the anger and not give into the sadness and fear.

I left the house and ran towards the woods to meet Sam. I stripped down and just as I was tying my clothes to my ankle, he appeared in wolf form right before me. I looked up at him and decided I didn't have time to be shy about my nakedness. He'd seen me naked before, even though it was a very long time ago. I stood up and took a few steps as I phased.

"_Sorry about that."_

"_Whatever, Sam. Let's just go find Embry."_

" _Let's start by going toward your house." _We took off toward my house with our noses to the ground trying to find a new trail. "_You say he left your house at six this morning?"_

"_Yes. I made him stay and get some sleep. He was exhausted. I woke him at six because I have an early class today and I had to get ready to leave by seven. He was going home to get some more sleep."_

"_I didn't know your mom allowed sleepovers."_

"_Knock it off, Sam. We just slept."_

"_Whatever, let's try to find a fresh scent." _We followed the trail between Embry's house and mine. We were now standing in my back yard.

"_When he left here, he didn't go home, Leah. The trail between your house and his is cold. But I find his scent going in this direction. Come on."_

I followed him as we headed toward town. _Why would he go into town at six in the morning? What was he looking for? Unless . . . my Jeep. I'll bet he was going to town to bring my Jeep home so I could drive to school. _

"_Where did you leave it?"_

"_I had parked it around the corner from the restaurant."_ We followed the trail, and sure enough, it led us to town. We stopped right at the edge. _"I'll bet Embry came here to get my Jeep just as Josiah was putting the note inside it. But where would they go from here?"_

"_I don't want to chance running through town and being seen, but we need to get over there and find a trail." _Sam looked around. _"Let's stay on the outer edge and work our way around. Maybe we'll get lucky and find where they headed into the woods."_

"_But what if Josiah drove his truck? He might have somehow gotten Embry into the truck and drove off. Then we'll never find a trail!"_

"_Shit! I can't believe I didn't think of that. That's the only way he could have gotten back here so soon. Fucking bastard . . . "_

Just then, I felt my phone vibrate. I looked at Sam and he nodded. As I ran for some bushes I phased back into human form. I untied my clothes and took my phone from the pocket of my shorts. It had stopped ringing, but I had caller ID, so I looked to see who it was. It was Josh. It vibrated again and I answered.

"Leah, I called Jason to see if Josiah was at home. Jason was pretty pissed because Sam told him he would kill him if he ever came back here again. But I convinced him to go look and see if Josiah was there. He can't find him anywhere. And . . . the truck is missing. That's how he got back here so quickly."

"Yea, Sam and I just came up with that theory ourselves. Thanks for letting us know. Now we know what we're dealing with. I just don't where to look from here."

"I asked Jason if he had any ideas and he said no. But he promised to call me if Josiah showed up."

"OK, thanks. I gotta go. Let me know if you hear anything else."

"I will. Be safe." I hung up. _Shit! How are we going to find them now?_ I stuffed the phone back into my shorts pocket and tied them back to my ankle. I phased as I ran out of the bushes and back to find Sam, who was making his way around the edge of town. He was heading north when I caught up with him. I let him hear what his Dad just told me.

"_How are we going to find him, Sam?"_

"_I don't know, but I will find him. And I will kill that son of a bitch this time so he will never hurt someone I love again."_

Just then we heard a gunshot! And it wasn't far! _"What the hell? Come on!" _Sam tore off in the direction we heard the shot and I was right beside him. Please God, let Embry be alive!

Embry POV:

As I walked out the back door at Leah's, I realized her Jeep was still in town. _How would she get to school this morning?_ I smiled as I thought of her upstairs getting ready then coming down to find she had no car. _I can run to town and get it and have it back here in time for her to go to school._ I decided to run as a human instead of a wolf. I knew it was early, but I didn't want to take a chance of anyone in town seeing a huge wolf running around.

It was around two miles, so it didn't take that long. I jogged up to her Jeep and opened the driver's door and saw a note laying on the seat. _What the hell is this?_ I started to reach for it just as someone grabbed me from behind. "Don't touch that," he hissed into my ear. _How the hell did he get back here so quick? _He pulled me away from the door, shut it then slammed me against the car.

He pushed himself against me from behind and said, "I can't believe my luck. I was just trying to figure out how to find you and get you alone and here you are! Thanks for making this that much easier."

He shoved a gun in my face then whipped me around. "You brought a gun?" I asked.

"Yea, I did. Unlike you, I can't phase into my monster self whenever I want, so I decided I needed a little advantage over you. Come on, let's take a little ride."

He shoved the gun into my side and jerked me to follow him to his truck. He opened the passenger door and commanded, "Get in and scoot all the way over. You're driving." I got in and scooted over, but instead of stopping behind the wheel I quickly opened the driver's door to get out. Before I slipped all the way out, I heard the gun go off and I felt pain rip through my leg! "Shit! What the hell? You fucking shot me!" I screamed at Josiah.

He reached around me and closed the door. "It just grazed you. Quit being such a baby and drive. But don't try that again or I won't be so kind."

I looked down to see that the bullet had just grazed my leg, but it still hurt like hell! I turned the key and started the truck. I put it into drive and took off. "Where the hell am I going?" I asked him angrily.

"Just shut up and drive. I'll tell you when to turn." He held the gun into my side as he talked. _Why didn't I kill this guy last night when I had the chance? _I drove out of town and was heading north_. I wish I could figure out a way to let someone know where I was._ I had my phone in my pocket, but I knew I couldn't make a move for it right now. I would have to watch for a chance.

I drove north until suddenly Josiah said, "Turn left up here." I looked ahead and saw a little dirt road to the left. I turned onto it and drove for about a mile when he said, "Turn down this lane on the left." I turned to the left into the little lane and when we reached the woods he said, "Stop here." So, I stopped the truck and turned it off. I looked at him and said, "So, now what? I usually only come to places like this to make out. I'm pretty sure I'm not feeling that way towards you, no offence," I said with a smile.

Josiah snorted. "You think you're so fucking cool, don't you?" He held the gun up and said, "But who's the one with the gun?"

"You think that gun makes you cool?" I asked.

"It does right now because it gives me the power I need over you," he said. His eyes had a crazed look to them and his hand shook as he held the gun up. I decided maybe I shouldn't shoot off anymore smart ass comments.

"And that's what this is about? You want to be better than me?"

"I want Leah, asshole. That's what this is about! I get rid of you, and then Leah will be mine. You won't be in the way anymore."

_Man, he's more fucked up than I realized. _"You really think that if you kill me, she won't hate you for that? Because she will, you know."

"She might at first, but then she'll realize that it was the only way we could be together. Especially if I make it look like self-defense. Everyone knows you all hate me. Maybe you came after me and made me drive out here and I had to grab the gun at the last minute to defend myself and it went off."

"That's your plan? She'll still hate you. I was with her all night. I slept in her bed. I'm pretty sure she'll know that I didn't have a plan to come after you and kill you." His eyes bugged out of his head he was so angry at that. His hand shook harder.

"I know she loves me, but you won't let her!" he screamed at me. "Now, get out of the truck. You've already left a puddle of blood on the floor. I don't want any more than that to clean up."

I opened the door and climbed out and he came out behind me, still holding the gun on me. I knew I could over power him and take it. I was just watching for an opportunity. The opportunity came quickly as he stumbled coming out of the truck. I caught him and grabbed the arm with the gun then yanked it behind him and he dropped it. I put my foot on it and yanked his arm high up behind him and I heard him grunt in pain. "Listen to me you fucking asshole, I've had enough of this. Leah will NEVER be yours and this is over. You had your chance last night when Sam took you home. Leah didn't want us to kill you because she feels sorry for you, not because she loves you. But, you made the mistake of coming back and now you're done. Three strikes and you're out, Josiah."

I threw him down on the ground and reached down and picked up the gun. I pointed it at him just to watch him squirm. I wasn't going to shoot him. That would be too quick and painless. I wanted him to suffer, but he didn't know that. I moved closer, but I really should have known better. He used the same fucking move on me he used last night. He kicked my legs out from under me and the gun went off as I went down. We rolled around on the ground as he tried to get the gun from me. I flung it as far as I could away from us toward the woods.

He scrambled and tried to get up and go after it but I tackled him and landed on his back. I grabbed him around the neck and was ready to snap it, but he quickly rolled over and slipped out of the hold. He planted his fist in my face and I reached up and grabbed his hair and pulled hard.

We fought like this for awhile before he finally got away from me and went for the gun. He picked it up and pointed it at me with a smile on his face. "This is over, Embry. I'm done with you." As I braced myself for the bullet's impact, I noticed his eyes go wide in surprise and I heard a snarl from behind me. Then another. I couldn't take my eyes from Josiah and that gun, but I knew one of the wolves had to be Sam, and I suspected the other was Leah. Just then, Sam flew by me to get to Josiah, but before he reached him, Josiah turned the gun on himself and fired. I watched in horror as blood and brains flew out in a spray everywhere and Josiah fell to the ground. It all happened so quickly, and yet I felt like I was watching it in slow-motion. _Oh my God, oh my God. I can't believe what just happened!_

Sam stopped right before he reached him and watched in shock. He looked at me and then I heard Leah hit the ground behind me. I turned to see her wolf body laying there and I crawled over to her. "Leah, baby! Leah!" I said to her trying to wake her. I ran my hand over her fur and then laid my head onto her neck_. _

"Hey, bro, are you OK?" Sam had phased back and was standing over us. I looked up at him then quickly crawled away from Leah and puked my guts out. _I hadn't seen that coming! I thought Sam might kill him, but I never thought he would turn the gun on himself like that._ Sam squatted down and put his arm around me. I sat up and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and looked at him. "Thank God you're alive," he said as he pulled me to him. We sat like that for a moment and then I noticed Leah stir.

She opened her eyes and looked at us. "I'm sorry, baby. I just didn't see that coming. Are you alright?"

She just laid there and closed her eyes again. I looked at Sam. "What should we do now?"

"I think I have to call the cops. I'm just not sure how to explain it to them. Maybe I should call Charlie Swan?"

I shrugged. I had no idea. I knew I wanted to get Leah home. I pulled out my cell phone and handed it to him. He nodded and walked away to make the call. "Leah, I'm so sorry that this happened," I said softly. She opened her eyes and phased before me into her human body. I reached down to untie her clothes from her ankle and helped her get them on. Then I pulled her into my arms and held her as she sobbed.

Charlie came out with a couple of deptuies and we tried our best to explain what had happened. He told us he believed us and took our statements. Sam gave him Josiah's brother's name and Charlie said he would call him. He also told us he would take care of the body and that we were free to go. He offered us a ride home, but Sam had already called Paul and told him to come and get us in Sam's car. He was on his way.

I was glad he didn't ask why Sam and I were just in shorts and Leah was dressed in a tank top and shorts in the middle of March. It was about fifty degrees right now, give or take. I just didn't feel like I could come up with any good excuses right now.

Paul pulled up and we all climbed into Sam's car. Sam tried to fill Paul in quickly as Leah laid her head on my shoulders and tried to get control of herself. I had no idea how long it would take her to get over this. I guess he did get his revenge on me by doing that in front of Leah. _Stupid bastard_. I was glad he was dead. I just hated how it happened, and how I knew it would haunt Leah forever.

I told Paul to drop us off at my house. I needed to tell Dad and I wasn't about to let Leah out of my sight. He pulled up and we got out of the car. Sam got out, too, and told Paul to take the car back to his house and he would be home in a little bit. Paul nodded and drove off. We all three walked inside to find Mom and Dad anxiously waiting on the couch.

Mom jumped up right away and pulled me to her. "Oh thank God! You're safe!" She held fast for a moment then pulled away to look at me. "Honey, you're hurt!" she said as she looked at my face. Josiah had gotten in a couple of good punches. I didn't even feel it. "And there's blood all down your leg!" Oh yea, the gunshot wound. I didn't really want to tell her about that.

"Mom, I'm OK. Really. Just sit down. We need to tell you what happened." Then she looked at Leah, who was still crying. "Oh, Leah," she said as she stepped over to take Leah into her arms. She took her over to the couch and sat down with her.

Dad looked at her then at us. "He's dead, isn't he?" he asked us.

Sam nodded and told him the story. I had sunk down to sit in the chair as Sam talked. Dad just nodded and then he looked at me. "This isn't your fault, son. Josiah was messed up, we all know that. I tried to help him, but . . . "

"I know, Dad. He was determined to kill me so he could have Leah. I guess when he saw her there, snarling at him, maybe he realized that it wasn't going to work. I don't know." I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. All of a sudden, the vision of Josiah's head exploding was there and I quickly opened them again. _How would I sleep tonight? Or any other night in the near future? How would Leah? _"The funny thing is, he held that gun on me as I drove the truck, and he had so many chances to shoot me. But he didn't. Then we got out of the truck and we fought, and he finally grabbed the gun and pointed it at me, but his hand was shaking so bad, I don't think he could make himself pull the trigger. I guess that's why I was so surprised when he . . . did what he did. I just didn't think he had it in him."

"Thank God he didn't pull that trigger on you," Dad said. He put his hand on my knee. Then he looked over at Leah and said, "Leah, honey, this isn't your fault either. Please don't blame yourself for what happened."

She had her head on Mom's shoulder and she lifted it to say, "How is it NOT my fault? He did ALL of this . . . everything for me! Because he loved me! Of course it's my fault."

That did it. I was royally pissed now. I sat up and yelled, "Are you fucking kidding me? Leah! The guy was fucked up! He wasn't in love with you. He was obsessed with you! He was willing to KILL me to get you to love him. Does that make any sense at all? This was HIS fault. He made the choice to turn the gun on himself, the fucking coward, instead of facing you and Sam. This was ALL him, Leah. Don't you dare sit there and take the blame!"

"Embry's right," Sam added as he kneeled in front of Leah. "He kidnapped you, twice, this last time with the intention to rape you. And he would have if Embry and Seth hadn't gotten there in time, Leah. That's not love. He was determined to have you any way he could get you and I knew last night when we took him to his brother that he wasn't going to give up. I was just hoping his brother would keep a better eye on him. I had no idea he would be back so soon. I'm so sorry this happened, but don't you dare blame yourself. Embry said it – this was HIS choice. OK?" He put his hand on her cheek and she nodded slightly. He kissed her on the cheek and stood up.

"I need to get home." He walked over to stand behind Dad and put his hands on Dad's shoulders. "How are you feeling, old man?"

Dad smiled. "Pretty useless, but better. I've done a few laps around the living room. I'm supposed to go and see Carlisle at the hospital later this afternoon."

"Good. Em and I will bring Lily over to see you tomorrow, alright?"

"That would be great, son. I look forward to it."

Mom stood up and walked over to Sam. "I have to thank you once again, Sam, for bringing home someone I love. Thank you so much for finding Embry and bringing him home safe to me." She hugged him as tears ran down her face.

"It's OK, Angie. I've gotten kind of used to having him around," Sam said. She smiled and let him go. Sam turned for the door then stopped and touched me on the shoulder and said, "Can I talk to you a sec?"

I nodded and followed him outside. "What?" I asked as soon as I pulled the door shut behind me.

"I, uh, just wanted to say . . . shit." He stopped and hung his head then cleared his throat. "Embry, I came too close to losing you today. I can't . . ." I cut him off by putting my arms around him and hugging him. He held me to him and said, "I love you, bro."

I wasn't ashamed at the tears in my eyes or the way I told him, "I love you, too, Sam. A lot. You're everything a big brother should be. Thanks for coming to save my life today."

He pulled back and said, "Yea, I got your back." He smiled and I could see tears in his eyes, too. He clapped me on the back and said, "I'm worried about Leah though. This has really messed her up."

"Yea, I know."

"We'll get her through this," he said. "She's strong and she'll fight her way through it. She has something to fight for, doesn't she? She's got you." He grinned and I had to smile at that. "I'm out of here. Take care, and call me if you need me, OK?"

"I will. Thanks, big brother." He nodded with a grin then waved and ran off toward the woods. I was truly grateful for the family I had. I gained a brother and a father this year, along with a sister-in-law and a niece. I hoped that soon I would also gain a wife.

But Leah was hurting, and hurting bad. I wasn't sure how we would get through this. But we would get through it. We had come too far to let this beat us.


	66. Chapter 65

CHAPTER 65

Leah POV:

Embry showered and put on clean clothes then had his Mom clean up his face and the wound on his leg. It was already healing, but she wanted it cleaned in case of infection. He insisted on taking me home, so his mom and dad each hugged me and told me they loved me. They were such good people. I loved them, too.

Embry put me in the Jeep and drove me home. We walked into the house to find Mom already home from work. She had worked a rare day shift today. Seth should be home any minute from school. I knew they would have to know what happened, but Embry would have to tell them. I just couldn't. Embry walked me in and sat me on the couch. Mom just looked at us and said slowly, "What's wrong? Embry, honey, your face! Let me see that." She touched Embry's face and he flinched. "What happened? Leah, are you OK?"

I couldn't look at her, I don't know why. I just stared at the floor and shook my head back and forth. Embry had his arm around my shoulder and I leaned into him. I don't know where I would be right now without him. He was my rock and I was clinging to him. Finally Embry said, "No, she's not. Something happened today, and, um, it was pretty horrible."

Just then the door opened and Seth came in. He looked at us then said, "What happened? Did he come back? Did you catch him?" He walked over and sat down by Leah.

Mom said, "He? He, who? Who came back? Somebody better tell me what the hell is going on here."

Seth jumped in with, "Josiah, Mom. He came back last night and took Leah after she got off of work."

Mom shot a look at me. "What? Why didn't I know about this?"

Seth went on, "Because it happened late last night. Embry and I tracked them down and found them. And we had him, we had him and Leah let him go. Then Sam and Paul and I ran him down and caught him and we beat the shit out of him! Then Sam and Paul took him back to his brother and told him if he ever came back here we would kill him," Seth said excitedly. He was having a little too much fun with the story.

I couldn't believe I had any tears left, but they started flowing again. Embry held me close and I buried my head into his shoulder. Embry said, "Um, Seth, let me, OK?"

Seth looked at him then said, "OK."

"He didn't hurt you, did he, Leah?" Mom asked.

I just shook my head. "He would have if we hadn't found them," Seth said quickly. Then he looked over at Embry and said, "Sorry."

Embry said, "He came back this morning." He launched into the story and just hearing it all again brought it vividly to mind. I fought the urge to put my hands over my ears. He finally finished talking and Mom and Seth just stared at both of us.

Mom had started crying while Embry was talking. When he finished she kneeled in front of me and pulled me into her arms. "Oh my God, Leah. I'm so sorry, honey. I'm so sorry you had to see that." We held each other as we both cried. Then she let me go and turned to Embry. She reached for him and as she hugged him she said, "I'm so glad you're alive."

Seth just sat there and stared at us. Mom moved back to the chair and wiped her eyes. We all sat there in silence for quite awhile. What else was there to say?

Finally, Mom got up and went into the kitchen. I could hear her banging pots and pans around and I knew she would be cooking something. Mom and Emily were cut from the same cloth. When there was a crisis, they felt the need to feed people. Embry's phone vibrated and he looked at me. I nodded so he pulled it out and answered it. He looked at me and mouthed, "Jake," then he got up and walked over to the other side of the room to talk to him. Seth said, "Are you OK?"

I shook my head. He put his arms around me and held me. We sat there until Embry came back. Then Seth stood up and went to Embry. He looked at him and finally said, "I'm really glad you're OK, bro." Embry smiled and pulled him into a hug. "Thanks, bro. I love you." Seth mumbled, "Love you, too." Then he ran upstairs and I heard him shut his bedroom door.

Embry sat down and looked at me. "You haven't eaten all day. Can I get you something? Anything?" I shook my head. I snuggled up to him and he put his arms around me and held me. This was all I could do right now.

Word spread pretty quickly around the pack and they came to see us and show their love and support. It was amazing, really. It wasn't that long ago that I was such a bitch to all of them. And now, here they were, showing me how much they cared about me. Paul and Jared came by and soon Jake and Quil showed up. Embry had been so strong all day, but when Jake came in and walked up to him with tears in his eyes, Embry lost it. Jake put his arm around Embry's shoulders and led him outside so he could have some time to get it all out. These guys had been together their whole lives and they were closer than any two brothers could ever be. I was really glad that Jake could be there for Embry. Especially since I couldn't.

Seth had come back downstairs when he heard the guys come in and he had taken Embry's place as my protector. He sat close beside me on the couch and talked to the guys so I wouldn't have to. I nodded or shook my head a few times but mostly I just stared at the floor. I was retreating into myself more and more and I could feel myself shutting down. It was all I could do to stay upright and keep breathing. I was feeling so anxious without Embry's arms around me. I kept glancing at the door and watching for him to come back to me.

Finally the door opened and Jake and Embry came back in. Embry looked better and I was glad. He came right over and sat down beside me and I gravitated back to leaning into him and letting him put his arm around me. I felt some of the anxiety float away. Seth got up to walk Paul and Jared out so I stretched out on the couch and laid my head in Embry's lap and closed my eyes. I wasn't sleepy, but I just couldn't find the energy to interact with them anymore. If I laid here and pretended I was asleep, no one would have any expectation of me.

Mom announced that she had some chili ready if anyone was hungry, so Jake, Quil and Seth headed for the kitchen. Embry sat there with me, gently running his fingers through my hair. I wished I could convey to him how much I loved him right now, and how much I needed him. I wished I could be there for him. I knew I was adding to his burden instead of helping him to let it go, but I couldn't do anything right now to change that.

Jake came back out and I heard him say, "I brought you a bowl of chili," and Embry say, "Thanks, man. I haven't eaten all day." Embry took the bowl from him and Jake asked, "You want something to drink? Wait, you always drink milk with chili, don't you? I'll get you a glass." I felt Embry chuckle. Soon Jake was back and he set a glass of milk on the table beside Embry. Seth and Quil stayed in the kitchen and ate with Mom.

While they ate, they talked a little about work. Jake told Embry that he was right about what was wrong on the truck they were working on, which I knew made Embry feel good. He loved figuring out why something wasn't working and then fixing it. It was like a puzzle for him. Jake told him that he fixed it and called the guy to come and pick it up. Then Jake went back into the kitchen and got them both another bowl of chili and Embry said, "Turn on the TV. I need to watch some stupid, mindless show to take my mind off of things."

Jake flipped on the TV and I heard "The Simpsons" theme song. "How's that for stupid and mindless?" Jake asked. Embry answered, "Perfect." They sat in silence and watched until Seth and Quil came back into the room. Then I heard Jake ask, "What's that?"

Seth said, "Dessert! Brownies with ice cream."

"Oh, I gotta have some of that!" Jake said and he disappeared into the kitchen. Seth sat on the floor in front of the couch. I really appreciated how he stayed close to me. I wished that I could tell him how much I love him. Right now, I just couldn't say anything.

Jake came back with a bowl of dessert for himself and one for Embry. Quil came in and joined them and they all watched TV and laughed and commented on the show. It was so weird laying here like this. It was like I was here, but I wasn't. Like I was just observing. Then I heard Embry say quietly to Jake, "I'm really worried about her. She hasn't said one word since this morning. When we got back to my house, and we told my parents what happened, she spoke up and said that this was her fault. That he did all this because he was in love with her."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Jake spouted.

"That is exactly what I said. Then I went off on her and yelled at her that HE made the choice, it had nothing to do with her. I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't have yelled at her like that. She hasn't spoken since."

Jake leaned toward Embry and said, "Yea, you should have yelled at her. And when she's awake, I'll yell at her. I can't stand that she is blaming herself for this. The guy was fucked up. He had problems. He might have done this anyway, regardless of how he felt for her. She has to realize that."

I did know that. I did know that Josiah had problems. He hated what he was and how he was being forced to live his life. Who wouldn't? I knew he wasn't handling it well, but . . . I still felt like if he hadn't been so in love with me, maybe he would have stayed there and tried to figure out a way to deal with things like Josh did. Instead, he left to come and find me. To tell me he loved me and I had to reject him. I had to. I didn't love him like that. I wasn't really convinced that he would have raped me either like the guys were. He wouldn't have forced me to do that. _Would he?_ And he wouldn't have gone after Embry like that if it weren't for me. He was trying to get rid of Embry to get to me. It was all about me, and I hated it! I felt myself retreat even farther inside. _I don't want to think about this anymore! I want to stop!_

"I hope she does realize it and soon," Embry went on to say. "He told me he would get his revenge on me. And if she can't let this go, then he's right. He will always be there between us, haunting us. I can't stand the thought of starting our lives together with him always there. Fucking bastard," he added under his breath.

Seth and Quil got up and gathered up all the bowls and took them to the kitchen. They must have helped Mom with cleanup because they didn't come back right away. "Maybe she could talk to a counselor or something," Jake suggested.

"Yea, maybe."

"What about you, bro? How are you going to get past this? He had a gun on you! I still can't believe that. You could have been killed today. Man, I just can't wrap my head around that!" Jake said.

"I don't know. I've been trying to push it out of my mind. I just keep thinking about Leah. "

"Yea, but you will have to deal with it, too, eventually or it will never go away." They got quiet and Quil came out of the kitchen and said, "We better go, Jake."

"Yea, OK."

Quil said to Embry, "Man, I'm sorry for what happened. I'm really glad you guys are alright. Take care, alright?"

"Yea, I will. Thanks, Quil."

Jake stood up and said, "You'll call me if you need me, right?"

"Of course I will. Is it OK if I take a couple of days off? I really need to be with Leah right now."

"Sure, sure. No problem." Jake stood there for a moment, not knowing what else to say. Finally he said, "Take care, bro."

Embry answered, "I will." Jake turned to go and Embry said, "Jake? Um, thanks, man."

"Yep," Jake replied. Then he and Quil left. Seth was still in the kitchen with Mom, so it was just the two of us. Embry leaned down and whispered, "They're all gone now. You can stop pretending you're asleep."

_What? He knew I wasn't sleeping? Then why did he say all that stuff about me to Jake? Oh, because he wanted me to hear it and know how he felt._ I slowly sat up, but I didn't look at him. I was a little embarrassed.

He pulled my chin around to face him and he said, "It's OK. I get it. It was too hard with everyone around, wasn't it?"

I nodded and he smiled. "Come here," he said as he pulled me into his arms. "I'm going to stay with you tonight. I need you right now as much as you need me," he said softly. I put my arms around him and clung to him. I doubted if he needed me half as much as I needed him. He was my lifeline right now.

Mom and Seth walked in and Embry pushed me slightly away to sit up. He looked at Mom and said, "Sue? I want to stay here tonight with Leah. I just can't leave her right now, and I don't think she wants me to." I shook my head. "I hope you understand that."

Mom smiled. "I do. I'm glad you're here with her. I can see how much you need each other right now."

"Thanks. This means a lot. I'm glad you trust me."

"Oh honey, I didn't say that," Mom said with a smile.

Embry laughed. "Well, good. You shouldn't. But, seriously, I just want to hold her so she can find a way to sleep."

"I know, Embry." Then she looked at me. "Leah, honey? I know you've been through something really terrible. And for now, I'll let you be silent and try to just get through the day. But, I want you to know, that eventually you will have to talk about this. Because if you don't, it will never go away. Whether you talk to me, or a counselor of some sort, you will have to deal with it. I love you way too much to see this ruin your life."

I felt tears slide down my cheeks as I nodded. She took my hands and stood up and brought me with her. She held me tight and whispered, "I love you, baby girl. You will get through this." I hung onto her and tried hard to believe her.

She let me go and I turned to look at Seth. He smiled and stood up and I put my arms around him. He held me tight and I cried on his shoulder. "It's OK, sis," he said softly. I finally let him go then I turned to Embry and he held out his hand. I took it and stood up and we walked upstairs to my room and he closed the door behind him. I sat down on the edge of the bed as he said, "I need to call my mom and let her know I'm staying here." I nodded. He took out his phone and called her. I just sat there and listened as he told her he needed to stay here with me. He told her he was doing OK and that he would be home sometime tomorrow. Then he asked how his dad was doing. "Yea? Good. Make him take it easy. . . yea, I know. I love you, too, Mom. See you tomorrow." He put the phone on the bedside table and looked at me. "Are you ready to go to bed?"

I nodded. He pulled off the t-shirt he was wearing and laid it on the bed. Then he looked at me and said, "Arms up." I held up my arms and he pulled off the shirt I was wearing and slipped his t-shirt over my head. I gave him a small smile. He remembered that I liked to wear his t-shirts because it felt like he had his arms around me. I stood up and took off my shorts and crawled into bed. He took off his pants and then asked, "Do you mind if I put on some music so it's not so quiet?"

I shook my head. He turned on the radio and turned it down to just play softly in the background. Then he crawled in beside me, fluffed the pillows and laid back then reached for me. I snuggled in beside him and felt all the tension just melt away. Here, in his arms against his bare chest, I was home. I was safe.

We lay there quietly for awhile then Embry said, "Leah, I love you, baby. So much. I really need you right now." His voice shook as he spoke. I sat up to look at him and saw a tear roll down his cheek. I reached out and wiped it away and looked into his eyes. "I'm not as strong as you think," he told me as more tears fell. _God, I can't believe how selfish I had been all day! Look at him! He's the one that was almost killed today, and you're acting like it was all about you!_

"I am so sorry," I said softly. I put my arms around him and held him. I felt his tears soak the t-shirt I was wearing as mine fell silently down my face. Josiah had put us both through hell. But I decided then, I would not let him drive us apart. He would not get his revenge that way. Embry and I belonged together and we would get married and live happily ever after. Somehow, we would put this behind us and move on.

Exhaustion finally took over and we both settled down and slept. I woke up twice in the middle of the night from horrible dreams, but Embry was there to hold me and whisper that everything would be alright. Towards morning I felt him thrashing around and mumbling and I rolled over to wake him. "Embry! It's just a dream. Wake up!" I shook him and he bolted upright and screamed. The sound of it terrified me! He was panting and sweating. Seth came running in and said, "What happened?"

"A nightmare. Thank God, it was just a nightmare . . ." Embry said. He rubbed his face and Seth asked, "Are you OK? Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm OK. Thanks, bro." Seth nodded and walked back out and closed the door. I put my arms around him and he said, "I'm sorry, baby. It just felt so real." He looked at me and put his hand on my cheek. Then he leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips. I closed my eyes and savored the feel of it. Then he pulled me down to hold me and we settled in to sleep some more.

The next time I woke up, I rolled over to find I was alone. I panicked for some reason! I sat up and shouted, "Embry! Embry!" I pulled my knees up to me and kept yelling until finally he came running in.

"What? What is it?" He sat down on the bed and I launched myself at him. He pulled me onto his lap and I wrapped myself around him. "Baby, it's OK. I was just in the bathroom."

_I hated what I had turned into. This wasn't me, some scared little girl. I was a werewolf, for God's sake! I was stronger than this! And yet, here I was, curled up on Embry's lap like a scared toddler._ He held me and lightly rubbed my back. I finally forced myself to sit up and look at him. "I hate this," I whispered.

He gave me a small smile as he said, "Me, too." I stared into his eyes for a moment then I leaned forward and put my lips gently on his. He kissed me back and we sat there just softly kissing each other. Then Seth came to the door and said, "Oh goody, you're back to making out."

We broke apart and looked at him and he asked, "Is it OK if I borrow the Jeep to drive me and Abby to school today?"

I smiled and nodded my head. Embry said, "Keys are on the table by the door."

"Thanks," he said with a smile. "Carry on." He closed the door then ran downstairs. Embry looked at me and said, "It's so easy to make him happy." I smiled. He was right about that. Seth had such a good heart and he could be happy with the simplest things.

"Did you want to sleep some more or are you ready to get up?" Embry asked me. I crawled back into bed. He smiled and lay down beside me. I rolled onto my side and he scooted up behind me and threw his arm over my waist. I wasn't sleepy, but I didn't really want to leave this room. We had a nice little cocoon here, and I was going to stay as long as I could. We cuddled and he slept and as long as I was here in his arms, I could forget everything.

Embry POV:

I rolled onto my back and looked up at the ceiling. Here I was, in Leah's bed with her, hiding from the world. It was noon and we still hadn't gotten up. I couldn't hide here forever. I really felt the need to go home and see my parents. I rolled over and said, "Leah? Baby, are you awake?" She rolled over and looked at me and smiled. "Hey, I need to go home and see Mom and Dad." Her smile disappeared. "Come on, don't do that. We can't stay here forever."

"I know. But I feel so safe here, alone, with you."

I smiled and gathered her into my arms. "I know, me, too. Just think, when we get married, we can do this on the weekends. I can't think of a better way to spend the weekend than in bed with you." That made her smile.

"Me either." Then she kissed me, gently on the lips, and I felt that fire inside start to burn. I kissed her back, moving my lips slowly over hers to see if she was feeling it, too. She responded by licking at my lips with her tongue. I rolled her onto her back and deepened the kiss. She ran her hands over my shoulders and then . . .

"Leah? Embry? Are you awake?" Sue said as she knocked on the door. I jumped a mile then sat up and said, "Yea, we're awake."

Leah sat up and made sure we were covered up just as the door opened. "Hey, I'm sorry, but Embry, Charlie Swan is here and he has a couple more questions for you and some papers for you to sign." And there it was: the world crashing back in on us.

I nodded and said, "I'll be right down."

"Alright, I'll tell him." She closed the door and I looked over at Leah. _Shit._ She was retreating again. She had sunk down into the pillows and her eyes had that glazed look to them. I leaned down and said, "Hey, don't do that. Don't shut down again, OK?" I pulled her chin toward me so she would look at me. "I'm going down to talk to Charlie, and while I'm gone, I want you to shower and put on clean clothes. Then you and I are going to see my parents. Got it?"

She just stared at me. I wasn't going to let her get away with this. She must have seen that in my eyes because she finally nodded and said softly, "Yes." I smiled and said, "Good girl." I kissed her and got out of bed to pull on my pants. I looked around for my shirt then heard her laugh softly. I turned to see her say, "Looking for this?"

She took off my t-shirt and held it out to me. The sight of her sitting there in bed, her top bare and that smile on her face . . . it took my breath away. "God, you're beautiful," I said. Then I crawled back onto the bed and kissed her. She kissed me back and then I remembered I was supposed to be going downstairs. I pulled back and said, "I will remember where we left off." She smiled at that.

I took my shirt and slipped it on then went to the door. "Shower. Go," I told her. "Yes, sir," she replied. I winked at her and closed the door and headed downstairs.

I walked into the room to find Charlie sitting in the chair and Sue on the couch. Charlie stood up when he saw me and said, "Sorry to wake you. I just need you to sign the statement you gave me yesterday and I had a couple more questions for you."

"That's OK." Sue moved so I could sit down on the couch near Charlie. We sat down and he asked, "How are you doing?"

_How was I doing? I was barely hanging on._ "OK, I guess."

He looked at me and said seriously, "Look, Embry. You've been through something pretty traumatic. It's going to take some time to get through it."

"Yea, I know," I told him. "I'm more worried about Leah right now. She's got it in her head that this is her fault and she keeps retreating into herself. I've told her over and over that this is not her fault. He was a psycho and he probably would have ended up doing what he did anyway. She thinks he did it because she didn't love him, and somehow that's her fault."

Charlie looked over at Sue who said, "We were just talking about the two of you seeing a counselor. I know that Leah will need someone to help her through this."

I looked at her and nodded. She would. "Yea, whatever helps us to get past this. I just want to forget the whole thing and move on with our lives."

Sue said, "How about a cup of coffee?" I nodded and Charlie said, "Sounds good." She got up and went to the kitchen.

"OK, well, I need you to sign this statement for me," Charlie started. "Look it over real quick and make sure we have it all down correctly." I took the paper he handed me and started reading. It brought it all back vividly. _Josiah forcing me into the truck with the gun . . . shooting me in the leg . . . making me drive while holding that gun on me . . . then stopping and getting out of the truck and fighting . . . and that horrific moment when I heard the gun go off and saw his head explode._ I closed my eyes and forced the vomit back down my throat. I heard the paper rattle and I opened my eyes to see that my hand was shaking as I held the paper. I took a couple of breaths to calm myself then I laid the paper on the coffee table and asked Charlie for a pen. He handed me one and I signed my name and sat back.

"I'm sorry, Embry, to put you through that again, but I have to make sure we do everything legally," Charlie said. I just nodded. "Can I ask you a couple of questions about the night before?"

"Yea, sure," I replied.

He asked about Josiah taking Leah and how we found them. He wanted to know times things happened and he jotted all of the details down in a little notepad.

Sue came back in with a tray that she set on the table. She handed me a cup of coffee and I thanked her and took a sip. I was feeling pretty shaky and caffeine probably wasn't the best idea right now, but I drank it anyway. She also had some cookies on a plate and she picked one up and handed it to me. I smiled and took it. Charlie picked up a cup of coffee and took a drink. "Thanks, Sue," he said as he set the cup back down.

He asked me a few more questions then he said, "One last thing. Jason told me that Sam threatened to kill Josiah if he ever came back here again. Is that true?"

"I wasn't with him when he took Josiah home. I brought Leah back here and stayed with her." I wasn't sure I wanted to incriminate my brother, so that's all I said.

He looked at me like he knew, but he didn't say anything. Finally he closed his little book and said, "OK, I think I have what I need. Don't worry about any of this. You just take care of yourself and Leah."

"I plan to," I said.

Sue said, "Speaking of Leah, I think I'll go and check on her." As she stood to go, I said, "I told her to take a shower while I was down here."

"Good. I'll make sure she did." She smiled at me and went upstairs.

I ate the rest of the cookie that was still in my hand while Charlie listened to the call that was coming in on his radio. He stood up and said, "Duty calls. I gotta go." I stood up and walked him to the door. He turned and stuck out his hand. "Take care, Embry." I shook it and said, "Thanks, I will." He smiled at me then went out the door to his cruiser. I closed the door and headed for the stairs.

The bedroom door was closed so I knocked before I opened it. "Come in," Sue called. I walked in to find Sue sitting on the bed with her arms around Leah, who was wrapped in a towel, crying. I kneeled down in front of Leah and she looked at me and said, "I'm so sorry."

I put my arms around her and said, "Oh baby, don't be sorry." I held her as she cried and Sue got up and quietly left the room. I took her place on the bed and Leah pulled back to say, "I'm being so selfish. You're the one that he tried to kill, Embry. I should be here for you. I'm sorry. I'm just . . . "

"Hey, it's OK. I know you're here for me. You held me last night when I broke down. We are here for each other. We will get through this. Do you hear me? We will." She nodded and laid her wet head on my shoulder. _I hated that bastard more now than ever. I would not let him do this to us. We had to find the strength to go on and forget about all of this._

"Come on, baby. Get dressed and let's go downstairs. You haven't eaten in days and I am going to make you eat something." She gave me a hint of a smile and nodded. While she dressed, I found my shoes and put them on. She sat down beside me and tried to pull the tangles out of her hair. "Here, let me do that." I took the comb from her and gently pulled at the tangles until they were gone. "There." I handed her the comb and then kissed her on the cheek. "Come on, let's go."

I stood up and held out my hand. She took it and got up and put the comb on her dresser. "Wait, I need shoes." She walked over and grabbed a pair of Vans and slid her feet into them. "OK," she said, and we headed down the stairs. I walked her straight to the kitchen and made her sit down at the table. Sue was in the kitchen and she said, "Bout time you ate something. What can I get you?"

Leah asked, "Do you have any chili leftover from last night?"

"I do. I'll have you both a bowl in no time," she said with a smile. I got up and poured Leah a cup of coffee and put it in front of her. She took a sip and said, "Thanks." We sat there and watched Sue as she heated up the chili. She talked a little about work and let us know she would be working nights the next couple of days then she would be off for two days. She poured the chili into a couple of bowls and put them in front of us. I gave Leah a look and she picked up her spoon, dipped it into the bowl and blew on it, then she ate it. I smiled and did the same.

We ate our lunch then Sue set out a plate with some of the brownies that were left over for us. "Sorry there is no more ice cream."

"That's OK. This is fine," I said as I picked up a brownie and took a bite. Leah had eaten most of her chili, and I handed her a brownie. We both ate two then Leah said, "I'm full, really. Can I stop now?"

I smiled and said, "Yes, you can stop now." Sue took our bowls and put them in the sink. I looked at her and said, "I think we're going to head over to my house to see my parents. I want to see how my dad's leg is today."

Sue nodded and said, "Good idea." I looked at Leah and she nodded. "I need to brush my teeth, though. I didn't have a chance this morning."

"OK, go ahead. I'll wait here." She got up and left the kitchen. Sue sat down across from me and said, "Embry, how are you, really?"

I closed my eyes for a second. Then I said, "I'm alright, really."

"You must have been so scared when he had that gun on you."

"I wasn't scared really. I was pissed. I knew I could overpower him and take it. I was just waiting for the right time. He stumbled getting out of the truck and that's when I took it from him. But then we fought and he got it back, but I could see in his eyes . . . he looked, I don't know, kind of nuts, you know? His hand was shaking as he held the gun on me and I didn't think he could make himself pull the trigger. I never thought he would turn it on himself. And you know, I don't think he planned that. It happened so fast, when he saw Sam coming at him. It was like a last minute decision."

She had reached her hand out across the table and laid it on top of mine. "I'm so sorry that this happened to you."

I just sat there. I really didn't have anything else to say. Leah came back into the kitchen and I stood up and said, "Ready to go?"

"Yes," she answered. Sue stood up and surprised me by kissing me on the cheek. "Tell Angie and Josh I said hello, will ya?" I smiled and nodded. Then she hugged Leah and said, "See you later, honey." I opened the back door and we walked outside. It was a nice sunny day and rather warm for March. It was a good day for a walk. I was determined that today would be a better day. And the day after that would be better yet. I took Leah's hand and smiled at her and she smiled back. That's all I needed. We turned and walked down the path through the woods that would take me home.


	67. Chapter 66

CHAPTER 66

Embry POV:

I walked up the front steps and opened the door for Leah and she walked inside. Mom was in the kitchen and Dad was sitting in the chair with a notepad, drawing out some plans.

"Hey, I was just wondering when we would see you," Mom said as she walked toward me. She pulled me into a hug and I was really glad she was here. All of a sudden I felt like a little boy who really needed his mommy. I held her tight and she rubbed my back. I heard Dad greet Leah and I forced myself to pull back. Mom looked up at me and smiled and touched my cheek. "It's OK, honey," she said softly. Then she wiped the tear that was falling from my cheek. I nodded. I was afraid to talk right now. "I made pie," she said. "Cherry, your favorite." I smiled. _How is it that moms always know just what you need? A hug and cherry pie always used to fix anything that was wrong when I was a kid._

"Thanks, Mom," I got out. She patted my cheek and walked back to the kitchen to finish what she was doing. She had finally quit her job at the factory and I was really glad of that today. She decided that she missed too much of my life growing up and she wasn't going to do that with this baby. This was a very lucky baby.

I walked over to sit beside Leah on the couch. "Hey, Dad. How's the leg?" I noticed the brace was gone.

"Much better. It's a little stiff, but I was out for a walk this morning, so it's loosening up. I'm going back to work tomorrow."

"Good," I said. "Jake gave me a couple of days off, but I want to get back soon." Leah looked at me with a little bit of panic in her eyes. I put my arm around her and tried to convey to her that it would be alright. She looked at me and said, "I never told my teachers that I would be out."

"Don't worry. Seth told me that he got on your laptop and took care of that. He told them you were pretty sick and you would be out for a few days. He also told them to send your assignments so you wouldn't get too far behind."

She smiled. "Wow. I guess I should thank him for that. He's always looking out for me."

"Yea, I'm finding out that brothers are good at that. I guess I'll have that chance soon with my new baby sister, huh, Mom?"

She turned and said, "I hope you and your father won't be too disappointed when this baby turns out to be a boy."

I looked at Dad and he smiled. "We won't be disappointed. But it's a girl!" he told Mom. She just rolled her eyes and turned around again. We laughed at that.

Then we heard a knock on the door just before it opened and in walked Sam and Emily with Lily. "Hey, hope you don't mind some company," Sam said as he walked in.

Dad stood up and said, "No, not at all! Come on in and let me have that beautiful granddaughter of mine." Emily handed Lily to Dad who cradled her and said, "Look at you. You are just adorable."

Leah looked at me and said, "He's crazy about that baby, isn't he?"

"Yea, it's kind of gross!" I said. Sam laughed at that said, "Amen!"

Emily came over and hugged me tight. "Hey, little brother. I am so happy to see you." I held her close and said, "Thanks, Em." She pulled back and touched my cheek. Then she turned to Leah and hugged her. She pulled away with tears in her eyes and said, "OK, enough." She smiled and walked to the kitchen to talk to Mom.

Dad sat down in the chair with Lily and was making faces and talking to her in silly baby talk. He looked up to see all three of us staring at him. "What? Lily gets it." Sam and I laughed at him. He was a dork, but he was my Dad.

Sam looked at us and said, "You both look better today. That's good."

Leah just nodded and I said, "Thanks." I was still a little raw emotionally and I didn't really want to talk about it. But looking at Sam and Dad sitting side-by-side reminded me of something I did want to talk about. "Um, Dad? I've been thinking about something that I really want to do, but I don't know how to do it. Maybe you can help?"

He looked up and said, "Sure, if I can." Then he looked over at Leah and asked, "Do you want to hold her?"

Leah nodded and Dad got up and handed Lily to her. She held her close and put her lips on Lily's head. Then she smiled and talked softly to her. Just watching her with the baby . . . I knew that was the best medicine she could have right now.

Dad sat back down and looked at me and said, "Now, what is it you need?"

"Well, I want to legally change my last name to Uley, but I have no idea how to do that." He got this incredible look on his face. I thought he might cry! I looked over at Sam who smiled at me then put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed it. "Is that OK with you guys?" I asked.

Sam laughed. "Sure, it's OK by me," he said.

I looked at Dad who finally said, "Embry, it would make me very proud and happy for you to carry my name. I will look into it first thing tomorrow morning and let you know what I find out, OK?"

I smiled and said, "Thanks. It means a lot to me to be an Uley. I love being a part of this family and . . . I guess changing my name will somehow make it all . . . perfect."

I glanced over at Leah who smiled at me. Then Dad surprised me by standing up and saying, "Come here, son." I stood up and he pulled me into a fierce hug. "I love you, Embry," he said, his voice filled with emotion.

"Yea, I love you, too, Dad." He held me for a moment then he let me go and mumbled something about having to use the bathroom. I looked down at Sam who stood up and said with a grin, "Way to go, little brother. Making Dad cry."

I laughed and said, "Afraid that I'm the favorite?"

He shoved me and said, "Yea, like that could happen, mama's boy!" I laughed and shoved him back.

Dad came back then Mom brought out the pie. I protested sharing it, but Mom told me she had one just for me set back. Sam said with a grin, "Spoiled brat," then shoved me and I shoved him back. Mom told us to behave or no pie! I gave him a look and he just smiled.

We sat around eating pie, except for Leah who was now feeding Lily a bottle. It was great to be around my family. It was just what I needed. As Leah was patting Lily on the back to burp her, Lily belched loudly! Leah looked at her and laughed. I mean, really laughed. "Do you feel better?" she asked Lily. Leah's whole face lit up as she looked at the baby. I was afraid I might never see that again. It made my heart feel so good to know that it was still possible. Sam said, "That's my girl!" and we all laughed.

Sam and Emily stayed for another hour then decided they better get home. Dad stood up and said, "I think it's time for another walk. Angie? You want to go with me this time?"

"Yes, I do. We'll walk you out," Mom said as she walked over to stand beside Dad. Leah handed Lily over to Emily and said, "Thank you for letting me hold her. She's so precious," she said.

Emily smiled at the baby and agreed. "Yes, she is. She is very precious." Then Emily looked at Leah and said, "And so is our friendship. If you need me for anything, please call me, OK? I love you, you know."

Leah just nodded and hugged her. Then Em turned and walked out the door.

Mom looked at me and asked, "Will you two be here when we get back?"

I looked over at Leah and said, "No, I think I'm taking Leah out tonight." She gave me a surprised look. "We need to get away from here for just a little bit."

Mom smiled and said, "I think that's a great idea. Call me later, OK?"

I stood up and walked over to her. "I will. Try not to worry about us. We'll be alright." She hugged me and said, "Oh honey. I'm a mom – it's my job to worry." He smiled and replied, "And you do it so well." She smacked me and looked over at Leah. "Have fun." She smiled and nodded. Then Mom turned and walked out the door with Dad. Sam stayed behind and said, "I love you guys. Try to have some fun. That's an order." Then he gave us a grin and walked out.

I turned to Leah and said, "You heard him. You can't ignore an Alpha order, you know. What do you say? Will you go out with me?"

She smiled at me. "Yes, I will go out with you. But maybe I should go home and change clothes?" She looked down at the torn jeans and t-shirt she was wearing.

"OK. Let me go and change then I'll drive you home so you can do the same. Sound good?"

She nodded. "Sounds good."

I leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. "I'll be right back." I walked to my room and tried quickly to decide what to wear. This should be a night to remember. Something special to celebrate our making it through the last couple of days. I decided to dress up and knock her socks off. I went into Mom's room and into her closet to find my suit from her wedding. I grabbed it and went back to my room and got dressed. I put on a little cologne and stopped in the bathroom to brush my hair over like she liked it. "Come on, already! You primp more than a girl!" Leah yelled out. I smiled. It was good to hear her yell at me like her old self. "I'm coming. I hope you're ready!"

I walked out into the living room and got just the look I was waiting for. I turned around slowly so she could get the full effect. "Huh? You like?" I said with a smile. Her eyes lit up and she smiled slowly. "Wow. You look so . . . fucking hot!" I laughed and said, "Listen to you. Do you kiss your boyfriend with that mouth?"

She walked up and put her hands on my chest. "No, I kiss my fiancé with this mouth." And then she did. "I didn't realize this would be a dress-up occasion."

"I just decided. I want this night to be really special to celebrate the fact that we're still here and we still love each other very much." I put my arms around her and kissed her forehead.

She smiled and said, "OK. Then take me home and I'll try to find something spectacular to wear."

I smiled and said, "Let's go." I walked her out to the truck and opened the door for her. She got in and I walked around to the driver's side and got in. I drove her over to her house and she jumped out and ran for the house. I couldn't believe how excited she was. It made me so happy. I walked in the house and closed the door. I sat down and flipped on the TV. This might take awhile.

Leah POV:

I was excited at the thought of getting out of town for the evening. And when Embry walked out wearing his suit, I thought I would faint! He looked so handsome all dressed up. I wanted to see _that_ look on _his_ face. I ripped through my closet trying to find something I bought a while back, but I hadn't worn yet. I found it and pulled it out. Rachel had talked me and Kim into going shopping with her one day and they talked me into buying this dress. At the time, I thought it was stupid because I couldn't imagine actually having anywhere to wear it. But, tonight, would be perfect.

I pulled the bag off of the dress and held it up. It was a little black dress that fit me like a glove. It had small spaghetti straps, and a v-neck that showed off my cleavage. I stripped off my clothes and grabbed my strapless bra from the drawer. I got dressed and went back to the closet for the black shoes I bought to go with it. I couldn't wear stiletto heels – I knew I'd fall off of them and there's nothing sexy about that! But I found a nice pair of black strappy shoes with about a two-inch heel that looked nice. I grabbed my hair brush and brushed my hair and pulled back the front and tried to poof it a little then fastened it into a nice barrette. I added a little make up and lip gloss and some perfume. I opened my jewelry box and took out a nice pair of silver hoops and put them on and added a silver bracelet. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror. I grabbed a small black purse and threw in my wallet, phone and lip gloss and closed it. I picked up the dark purple wrap that came with the dress and draped it over my upper arms. _OK, here goes._

I walked to the top of the stairs and called, "Are you ready?"

"Yes! Get your ass down here," he called back.

I walked slowly down the stairs, partially for effect, but mostly so I wouldn't fall and look ridiculous! I watched Embry's face, and there it was. The look I was waiting for. His eyes popped and he smiled and said, "Leah, wow! You look beautiful." He walked up and took my hands. "No, make that hot." I smiled and said, "Gee, thanks." He leaned down and kissed me. "I am a very lucky guy."

I smiled. "Where are you taking me?"

"Well, while you were getting ready, I called Dad and asked him where to take you. He told me about a very nice place in Port Angeles, so I called and made us a reservation."

"You did?"

"Yes, I did. We better go so we won't be late." He put his arm out and I took it. He walked me outside just as Seth drove up in the Jeep. He got out and whistled. "Wow. What's going on? Why are you guys so dressed up?"

"I am taking my fiancé out to dinner," Embry said.

"Oh. Cool," Seth said.

"And now that you're home, how about you give me the keys to the Jeep? Here's the keys to my truck in case you need to go and see Abby or something," Embry said to him.

"Sure, whatever." He held out the keys to the Jeep and took Embry's keys from him. "You guys have a good time."

"We will, thanks," I said. I looked over at Embry and he smiled at me. I was really looking forward to tonight. He walked over and opened the door of the Jeep. I got in and he closed the door. He said something to Seth who waved at me and walked inside. Embry got in and started the engine. "Tonight will be really nice. I promise."

"It already is," I told him. He smiled and pulled away from the house and headed toward Port Angeles.

As we drove up to the restaurant, Embry said, "You know this is the place where Dad proposed to my mom."

"Really? Wow. Looks kind of fancy," I commented.

We parked and walked inside and were seated at a table beside the window that looked out over the water. The table was covered with a cloth tablecloth and candles and flowers. The waiter poured us each a glass of water and then handed us a huge menu. When I saw the prices, I almost fainted! "Embry, this place is so expensive," I said anxiously. "Maybe we should go somewhere else."

"No way, Leah. I have enough money. Please don't worry. I want us to relax and enjoy a night out, OK?" He put his hand over mine. I smiled and said, "OK, Mr. Moneybags." He laughed.

When the waiter came back I ordered prime rib, a salad, and a baked potato. Embry smiled and ordered the same. Then he asked the waiter if they had any non-alcoholic sparkling cider. The waiter smiled and said yes they did and he would bring us a bottle, which he did. He poured it into champagne glasses for us and we touched glasses and took a drink. "Look at us. We look so grown-up," I said to Embry.

"Grown-up enough to get married?" Embry asked.

I smiled at him and said, "I think I already agreed to that. See?" I held out my engagement ring. He took my hand to his lips and kissed it.

"Yes, I know you did. But, I want to set a date. Tonight." I just looked at him curiously and he went on to say, "I've been thinking about it for awhile. I even talked to the guy that my mom rents our house from to tell him that when Mom and Dad move into the new house, I want to stay in this house and take over the rent. He agreed. So, I have a job, and a house, now all I need is a wife."

"Really? You did that?"

"Yea, I did. I was telling Jake about it the day Lily was born. He asked me why I was in such a hurry to get married. I told him because I loved you so much, and I was tired of waiting for us to start our life together. I want to sleep with you every night and wake up with you every morning. With me working so much and you going to school and work, we don't get to spend nearly enough time together. I miss you, baby. I want to be with you. I want you to be my wife."

I felt tears threatening. I put my free hand up to my mouth. He turned my hand over and held it. "I don't mean to put pressure on you or anything. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. We're supposed to be having a good time."

I smiled at him. "I'm not upset, Embry. I'm just so amazed at you. I want that too . . . everything that you just said. I want to marry you, Embry. As soon as we can."

His smile was dazzling as he got up from his chair and came around the table to pull me out my chair to hold me. "You have just made me so happy," he said softly. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, too."

"Um, excuse me. Your salads?" the waiter said. We pulled apart and laughed. Embry pulled out my chair for me to sit down then he sat down and picked up his fork. I took a bite of salad then asked, "How soon can we do this?"

"Dad has been working on the house as much as he can, and he thinks they can move in by May first. So, I was hoping maybe we could get married sometime at the end of April." He took a bite of salad and looked at me. "What? You don't look happy about that."

"No, I am. It's just that it's still over a month away. I thought you meant now," I told him.

He put his fork down and smiled. "Baby, I would marry you right now, tonight, if we could. I don't want to wait one more minute. But, I guess I'm trying to be practical. We need a house and we can't have one until Mom and Dad move out. Plus, you need some time to throw together a wedding."

I knew he was right, but it didn't mean I had to like it. I smiled at him then finished my salad. Our waiter brought our dinner and it was so good. "Oh Embry. It's been so long since I had a meal this good. This meat is delicious."

"I know! I think I could eat two, but at these prices, one will have to do," he said with a smile.

We ate our dinner then the waiter asked if we wanted dessert. We both declined thinking maybe we would get ice cream somewhere later. Embry paid the enormous bill and escorted me out of the restaurant. It was a nice evening, so we decided to walk along the water a little ways. He held my hand as we walked and I felt so relaxed. It was as if the last two days never happened. As long as I kept pushing it away, I could keep thinking that it didn't happen.

We stopped and leaned against the railing and looked out at the water. "Embry? Would you really marry me right now? Tonight?"

He looked over at me and said, "Of course I would." He turned to me and took my hands and said, "Leah, I know we're trying hard not to talk about it, but, I laid awake for awhile last night thinking about how . . .how close I really came to being killed. If you and Sam had been just a few seconds later . . . " he stopped and closed his eyes for a second, reliving the moment. Then he opened his eyes and gazed into mine as he went on, "And I can't stand the thought of dying without ever knowing what it's like to be married to you, or have babies with you . . . " he put his hand on my face, "I want that so much. And life is short. You never know what's going to happen. I just don't want to keep waiting then see my chance slip away, you know?"

I felt tears slide down my cheeks. "Then let's don't wait. Let's do it. Now. Let's find a Justice of the Peace and just do it."

He was taken aback. "Are you serious?"

I smiled. "Yes, I'm serious! Let's get married! Right now, tonight!"

"But if we get married now, where are we going to live?" he asked.

"You can move in with us until the house is ready. That will give your mom and dad a little private time until the new baby gets here."

He thought about it for a moment then answered, "Yea, I guess that would work. Do you think your mom would go for that?"

"Yes, I think she would. I know Seth would love having you around," I added with a smile. I could see a slow smile spread across his face. "Come, on, baby, I know you want to," I said enticingly. He laughed and said, "OK, let's do it!"

"Yes!" I shouted as I jumped into his arms. He picked me up and twirled me around. "So, how do we find a Justice of the Peace? Do they even still have those?"

"I don't know," I admitted.

I looked around and found that we were standing in front of a little coffee shop with a sign in the window that stated they had free internet. "Come on," I said as I took Embry's hand and dragged him inside the shop. I walked up to the girl behind the counter and told her what we had decided and could we use a computer to find a Justice of the Peace. After declaring it was the most romantic thing she'd ever heard, she went into the back room and came out with her own laptop. She set it on a little table in the corner and proceeded to try and find us one. As she was looking I found myself telling her how we had gotten engaged in November, and we had been waiting until things were just right to get married. But we had been through a horrible near death experience in the last few days that really put life into the right perspective. "Embry just told me, 'life is short,' and he's right. We don't want to wait too long and have our chance slip away," I told her.

An older gentleman sitting at a table next to us said, "Um, excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear, and I would like to help. I'm a judge and I have the authority to marry people."

We all looked at him in shock! "Are you serious?" I asked.

He laughed and put down the newspaper he was reading. "Yes, I am, young lady. And if you two are serious about getting married, I can do that for you. I can even provide the place. My very good friend owns a bed and breakfast on the waterfront, and I know he would be happy to provide a place for you to be married and even a place to stay for the night." He had such kind blue eyes that crinkled when he smiled.

I looked at Embry and he smiled. "I guess it was meant to be," he said. I looked back at the gentlemen and held out my hand. "I'm Leah Clearwater, and this is my fiancé, Embry Call, and we would be very happy to have you marry us."

He laughed as he took my hand and said, "I am Judge Harry Newcomer, and it is a pleasure to meet you both." _Harry. Just like my dad's name. Maybe that's a sign._ "Let me make a quick phone call to my friend." He excused himself and took out a cell phone.

I turned to Embry and said, "This is really happening."

He smiled and hugged me. "I just hope our moms don't kill us for doing this."


	68. Chapter 67

CHAPTER 67

Leah POV:

We drove up to the address that Judge Newcomer gave us. "Wow, are you sure we're in the right place?" Embry asked. It was dark as we drove up, but as we got closer, a huge white mansion seemed to grow before us. Embry pulled up to the door and looked at me. "This place is huge, and . . . expensive looking."

"I do have my emergency credit card with me. And it's paid off. We can use that," I told him. Before he could answer, a car pulled up behind us and Judge Newcomer got out. "I guess we're in the right place," I said. Embry opened the door and got out then walked around to open my door for me. "Thanks," I said as I got out.

Judge Newcomer greeted us and told us to follow him inside. He opened the huge door and we walked into a large entrance hall with a beautiful winding staircase. The room was lit by an enormous chandelier suspended from the ceiling. I looked at Embry and saw that he was definitely out of his element here. So was I, really.

I heard Judge Newcomer shout out that we were here and then a man dressed in a very nice suit appeared from another room to greet him and shake his hand. "Harry! It's been too long since you've been out to visit." He had dark brown hair, a very well- trimmed beard and he looked to be around 40.

"I know. I've been too busy. If the criminals would take a vacation, maybe I could, too!" They laughed and then he turned to us. "Phil, I would like you to meet Embry and Leah. They are the couple I called you about."

"Welcome!" Phil said. "I am Phil Nash, and I own this inn. I am so happy to be able to provide you with a place for your wedding. And I hope you will accept my offer of a very nice room for your wedding night. We would love to have you stay with us."

"Yes, we would love to stay. This is a beautiful inn," I told him.

"Thank you. I'll be happy to give a tour if you like, but for now, let's move into the parlor. I think you will like this room for the ceremony."

I looked at Embry and he took my hand as we followed Phil and the judge into the parlor. I felt like my eyes were bugging out of my head! I had never seen such opulence! Tall windows with elegant draperies, and the furniture fit perfectly with the décor. He led us to stand in front of the fireplace, which was all white and had a portrait of the mansion hanging over it. "How's this for the ceremony?"

I looked at Embry and he nodded and I said, "It's great."

The judge looked at us and said, "Phil, here, will serve as your witness and I ran to the office and picked up the proper paperwork for the marriage certificate, so we'll have you fill that out. Why don't you do that now, then we'll get started, alright?"

He set his briefcase down on a table and opened it and took out some papers. He handed them to me with a pen and invited us to sit on the sofa and fill them out. We sat down and Phil said, "I'll go grab my camera so you can have some wedding pictures." He left the room and I started filling out the forms.

It took us a few minutes, but we finished and signed them and handed them to Judge Newcomer. He looked them over and asked us for our ID. We each handed him our driver's license and he asked Phil if he could make a copy of them. He agreed and took them, then brought them back along with the copies. The judge added the copies to the pile and signed the form. "OK, everything is legal. Are you ready to begin?"

I took a deep breath and looked at Embry. I straightened his tie a little and he smiled at me. "Do I look alright?" I asked him.

"Baby, you look beautiful," he said softly and I smiled. We turned to the judge and told him we were ready. He positioned us in front of the fireplace and then stood in front of us. Phil stood off to the side, and he would snap a picture every now and then. The judge asked us to join hands then he read the service from a little black book, and we promised to love, honor and cherish each other "until death do us part." _Please don't let that be for at least 80 years or so_, I thought. He asked for a ring, and Embry said, "I have a wedding ring to go with this engagement ring, but it's at home."

Judge Newcomer said, "That's alright. We'll just use this one." I took it off and handed it to him. He talked a little about what the ring represented then he handed it to Embry. He slid it onto my finger and said, "With this ring, I thee wed." Then the judge pronounced us husband and wife and told Embry he could kiss his bride. Embry looked at me with love shining in his eyes then took my face into his hands and kissed me gently on the lips. It was perfect . . . the wedding kiss I had always dreamed of. I smiled at him through my tears and he said, "I love you, Leah, always."

I gulped and said, "I love you, too, Embry, so much." Then he pulled me to him and held me until I got control of myself. Then I pulled away from him and Phil and Judge Newcomer clapped and they both congratulated us. Phil had us pose for several pictures with and without the judge.

We turned to Judge Newcomer and Embry shook his hand and said, "Thank you so much. This was very, very nice of you. We really appreciate your kindness."

"I was very happy to do it. This is one part of my job that I thoroughly enjoy. You are obviously very much in love and I am happy that I could be the one to help you begin your married life," he said with a smile.

Phil stepped up and said, "Why don't we step into the dining room?" We looked at each other then at Phil curiously. We walked into a beautifully decorated dining room with several round tables scattered around covered in nice white cloths. On one of them, there was a small cake and a bottle of champagne with four glasses. I smiled and looked at Phil. "This is really nice, but you didn't have to do this!"

"Of course I did! A wedding is a reason to celebrate. So, we are going to drink a toast to the happy couple and eat a piece of cake, then you will begin your honeymoon," he said. He moved over to the table and popped open the bottle of champagne. He poured some into four glasses then handed each of us a glass. We held them up as Phil said, "To Embry and Leah. May you never lie, cheat or drink. But if you must lie, lie with each other. And if you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink with us for we wish you both the love and happiness of which you deserve!"

We all clinked glasses then before we took a drink, Phil reminded Embry and I to entwine our arms then take a sip. He had us hold that pose so he could snap a picture. Then we cut the cake and he took a picture as we fed each other a small piece. "Oh my gosh, this cake is delicious! What is it?" I said as soon as I swallowed my bite.

Phil smiled and said, "My sister is a pastry chef and she made this. It's a chocolate mousse cake with a raspberry swirl. It's my favorite!"

"You have been so generous. I don't know how to thank you," I said as he handed me a delicate little blue plate with a piece of cake on it and a fork.

"Please sit down and enjoy your cake and don't worry about it. I love being able to do this for couples," Phil replied. He handed Embry a piece of cake and we both sat down at the table. He and the judge joined us and we all enjoyed the delicious cake.

"Well, it's late and I need to get home. My daughter and her husband are coming into town tomorrow with my new little grandson," Judge Newcomer shared as he stood up.

"Aw, how old is he?" I asked.

"He six months now and cute as a button," he said with a smile. He dug out his wallet and showed us a picture.

"He's so cute," I said as I showed it to Embry. He nodded and added, "I have a new niece who is only six weeks, but she is already pretty spoiled."

"It's hard not to spoil a baby," the judge agreed. He looked over to Phil and said, "Phil, thanks for your help. I promise to get out to see you again real soon."

"I'll hold you to that," Phil said as he shook the judge's hand. Embry and I both stood and said our goodbyes. Judge Newcomer wished us well then turned and left the room.

"Well, why don't I show you to your room?" Phil suggested. We nodded and he put the bottle of champagne and our two glasses and the rest of the cake on a tray and carried it with him as he walked us out to the staircase in the foyer. We followed him up the stairs and to the right. He stopped in front of a door and used a key to open it. "I think you'll like this room," he said as we walked in.

The focal point in the room was a large, four-poster king-sized bed! There were at least eight pillows lined up along the headboard and all of a sudden I had the urge to run and jump onto it. I held myself back as Phil set the tray down on a table and walked us around the room. He showed us the bathroom with the large two-person Jacuzzi tub and told us about the beautiful view. We promised to check it out in the morning.

"Breakfast is served downstairs in the dining room from seven to ten, if you care to join us. If you would rather have breakfast here in your room, which I highly recommend, just pick up the phone and dial 0, and let me know. I'll send up a tray for you."

"Thanks, Phil. I do have a credit card. Would you like to do that now, or maybe tomorrow when we are ready to check out?" I asked.

"Don't worry about that at all. This is your wedding night. Please, enjoy, and if you need anything at all, just call downstairs." He started for the door then he said, "Congratulations, you two. Have a good night." Then he went out the door and closed it behind him, making sure he put out the "Do Not Disturb" sign.

Embry and I just stood there for a minute. Then he looked at me and said, "Did we really just get married?"

I laughed and nodded. "Yea, we did." Then we both started laughing. "Oh my God! We just got married!" I said.

He picked me up and spun me around and then kissed me. "Oh baby, I thought this day would never come. I am so happy right now."

"Me, too," I said. He kissed me again then he let me go. He picked up the bottle of champagne and poured some into each glass then he handed me one. "Here, baby." He held his glass up and said, "To my beautiful wife. May you always know how much I love and need you." He clinked my glass and we each took a drink. Then he leaned over and kissed me.

"And to my handsome husband. May you always know how much I love and need you." We clinked glasses again and took another drink and I kissed him. Embry drained his glass and set down and asked, "Do you mind if I get out of this jacket and tie?"

"No, please do," I replied. He smiled and took off his jacket and laid it on a chair as I walked around and looked at the room. Then he untied his tie and pulled it off and threw it on top of his jacket.

"Uh-oh," he said. I turned to see what was wrong and he held up his phone. It must have vibrated in his pocket. "Hello? Hey, Mom," he said as he looked at me with a grin. "Yea, we're fine. Um, I have some good news for you. Yea, uh, Leah and I just got married!" I was watching him to see if he was getting yelled at or congratulated. Finally he smiled and said, "Yes, I said married. No, Mom, we didn't plan it, we just decided tonight while we were at dinner. I hope you're not mad at us." She talked for a little bit and then Embry said, "We're staying here tonight in the bed and breakfast inn where we got married. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. It's a pretty amazing story. Yea, I'll tell her. I love you, too. We'll be home tomorrow. OK. Bye."

He closed the phone and I asked, "Is she mad?"

"No, just really surprised. She said to tell you that she loves you and she's happy to have you as a daughter."

"Aw, she's so nice. I love her, too," I told him. He handed me the phone and said, "OK, now you need to tell your mom."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes, you chicken, you do. Get it done so we can start the honeymoon," he said as he nuzzled my neck.

"Mmmm, keep doing that. I like that," I said. He laughed and pulled away and pointed at the phone. Then he walked over to sit and bounce on the bed. "Ooo, nice bed," he commented. Then I saw him look around then open the drawer on the nightstand and take out a long lighter and light a couple of candles that were sitting there. He put the lighter away and got up and turned off the light. The room had a beautiful glow to it.

I dialed the house and waited for Mom to answer. "Hello?"

"Hey, Seth, is Mom home?"

"Um, she should be pretty soon. What's up? Are you guys OK?" he asked anxiously.

"Yea, we're great actually. We just got married," I said simply. Embry smiled at me then sat down on the bed and untied his shoes.

"What? Are you shitting me?"

I laughed. "No, I'm not shitting you. We really got married. Just now." Embry laughed at that as he took his shoes off.

"Wow. Why?" he wanted to know.

"Lots of reasons, but mostly because we love each other and we didn't want to wait any longer," I told him. I watched Embry take his socks off and toss them over by his shoes.

"Huh. So, you're married. Where are you going to live?"

"At our house for awhile then when Embry's mom and dad move to their new house, we will move into that house. Embry already arranged it with the guy that owns the house."

"Oh. Why did you do it without telling anyone? Are you pregnant or something?" he asked.

"No, Seth, I'm not pregnant. It was just a last minute decision. With what happened . . . you know, we just decided we didn't want to wait. So, we just did it!" Embry smiled as he stood up and started unbuttoning his shirt. I was enjoying watching him, but it was very distracting.

"Hey, Mom just came in. I can't wait to watch her face as you tell her. Here she is," he said.

"Hello? Leah?" Mom asked.

"Yea, Mom, it's me. Um, I'm calling to tell you that . . . Embry and I just got married. Here in Port Angeles."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yes. Are you mad?" I asked. _Please don't be mad. Please don't be mad. _Embry took off his shirt and laid it on top of his jacket on the chair as he watched me.

"Well, I don't know what I am. Why would you do that? Did you plan this? You're not pregnant, are you?"

"No, Mom, I'm not pregnant." I looked over at Embry who laughed as I rolled my eyes. He put his hands on his belt and started unbuckling it. "We didn't plan it. Embry told me he wanted to take me out of town for dinner so we got dressed up and came to Port Angeles. We had a wonderful dinner and after, we got to talking and before you know it, we found a judge in a coffee shop who agreed to marry us! He had a friend that owns an inn and we came here and got married. We have a room and we are staying here tonight then we'll be home tomorrow." Embry slid his pants off and laid them on top of his shirt. He was standing there in just his boxers, and I smiled at him.

"Wow. I'm just really surprised. As long as you two are safe and happy, I guess I'm happy."

"Thanks, Mom. That really means a lot. We'll tell you all about how it happened tomorrow when we come home, OK? I love you." Embry came up behind me, put his arms around me and kissed my neck. I leaned back into him.

"I love you, too, Leah. Embry, too. We'll see you tomorrow."

"Um, OK, Mom. See you then. Bye." I hung up and dropped the phone onto the plush carpet. "Oh that feels so good," I said softly.

"Was she upset?" he asked into my ear.

"Mmm, no, just really surprised. I think she was a little disappointed that she wasn't with us, but she'll get it over it." His lips were making me crazy! I felt him pull the zipper on my dress down and then he whispered, "I've been wondering all night if you were wearing black underwear. I can't wait any longer to find out."

He slipped the dress from my shoulders and it dropped to the floor. I heard his sharp intake of breath as he saw that, yes, I was wearing a black strapless bra and black panties. I stepped out of the dress and picked it up to lay it on top of his pile of clothes then turned to look at him. He smiled and said, "God, Leah, you are so beautiful." He scooped me up into his arms and carried me over to lay me down on the bed. He crawled onto the bed beside me and kissed me softly on the lips.

"I've been thinking about this night for months now, and I can't believe it's finally here. This will be the first night we sleep together as husband and wife."

I smiled and touched his cheek. "The first night of many," I added. He smiled and kissed me again and the wedding night officially began. We took our time kissing and touching each other. He unhooked my bra and threw it on the floor and explored my breasts with his hands and his mouth. I wound my hands into his hair and just let go of everything. The only thing I needed was Embry and I let him surround me – the sight of him, the smell of him, the taste of him. Our underwear disappeared and we lay there with nothing else between us. I made him roll over and I took a turn exploring his body and making him sigh with pleasure. After awhile, he reached up and pulled the barrette out of my hair and laid it on the nightstand and my hair fell down around us like a curtain. He buried his hands in it and pushed it back and kissed me. Then he rolled me over and moved on top of me to kiss my neck. "Leah, baby, I want you . . . I need you," he whispered as he pressed himself against my leg. "Yes," I whispered back. I arched my back as he entered so slowly, each thrust taking me higher and higher until I was begging him to move faster. I wrapped my legs around him and moved with him until I felt the explosion. I cried out just as he shuddered. We laid there wrapped in each, trying to catch our breath, and I felt such an incredible bond with Embry. Like we were joined as one now and nothing could ever separate us. I held on to him tight and savored the feeling.

He finally rolled to the side and looked at me. He smiled and pushed the hair from my face. "I love you, baby."

"I love you," I said simply.

"I think I'm going to like this marriage thing," he said with a grin. "Me, too," I said.

He pulled me into his arms and pulled the sheet up over us. "And now, we can sleep here, together, and wake up and start all over again," he said.

I snuggled into him and said, "Mmmm, if you say so, husband."

"Oh I like that. Are you saying that I'm the boss?" he asked.

"Maybe for tonight, then we'll talk," I answered. I could feel his chest rumble with his laughter. We settled in and slept for the first time as husband and wife. It was the happiest night of my life.


	69. Chapter 68

CHAPTER 68

Embry POV:

As I lay there with Leah in my arms, all I could think was, "_This is my wife. Leah is finally my wife."_ It was the most spontaneous thing I had ever done in my life, but I didn't regret it at all. I loved Leah so much, and I needed her now more than ever. Even though I had fought all night to push it away, now that it was dark and quiet, it came creeping back_. I could feel the cold metal of the gun shoved into my side. I could see Josiah pointing it at me._ I tried hard to push it away again and think about what Leah and I had just done_. I just made love to my wife._ _And it was everything I knew it would be. _I willed myself to relax and sleep. I inhaled her scent and caught a whiff of her perfume then smiled. And finally, I slept.

We woke in the middle of the night and made love again, and it was just as sweet as the first time. Afterward, Leah got up and got the rest of the cake and brought it to bed with two forks. She lit the candles so we could see to eat and she giggled like a little girl doing something naughty and getting away with it. We sat in the middle of the giant bed and ate all of the cake. The champagne was warm, but we drank the rest of it anyway. Then we settled in against all of the pillows and slept again.

The next time I opened my eyes, Leah was staring at me. I smiled and said, "Good morning, Mrs. Call."

She smiled and said, "Good morning, Mr. Call."

"How long have you been staring at me?" I asked her.

"Not long. I was amazed to wake up and see you lying there sleeping. I'm not dreaming. You're really here," she said as she reached out and ran her finger gently over my lips.

"I'm really here," I said softly. Just then, my stomach rumbled.

She laughed and said, "I know! I'm starving, too." She rolled over and grabbed the phone. "Good morning. We would love to have a breakfast tray sent up if that is alright? Yes, thank you, that would be wonderful." She looked over at me and said, "Breakfast will be up in about 30 minutes."

I stretched and yawned and got up to use the bathroom. I looked over at the Jacuzzi tub and decided we would have to try that out after breakfast. I left the bathroom and crawled back into bed and put my head next to Leah's. "You know, baby, we need to try out that tub. How about a bath after breakfast?"

She didn't answer right away so I turned to look at her. "Leah?" Her eyes were glazed over and she looked a million miles away. "Hey, baby," I said as I touched her arm. She jumped and said, "What?"

"Where were you just now?" I asked.

She looked down and said nothing. _Oh. That's where._ I put my arm around her and pulled her close. She laid her head on my chest and we lay there quiet for a few minutes. Then Leah asked quietly, "Do you think there will be a funeral?"

I sighed and said, "I don't know. Why?"

She shrugged. _Oh God, she was thinking of going if there was a funeral. Why would she want to do that? Her guilt?_ "You aren't thinking of going, are you?" I asked. She was quiet. "Leah?"

"Maybe," she said very softly.

I sat up and made her sit so I could see her face. "Are you crazy? Why would you want to do that?"

"You know why, Embry." I just stared at her. I couldn't believe she was going to let his asshole come between us like this. _Hold your tongue, Embry. Chill._

I took a deep breath to calm myself and said, "Leah, do you really think that his brother will want us there? Maybe we should think of him."

Before she could answer, there was a knock on the door. _Shit! I was still naked. _I remembered seeing robes in the bathroom, so I called out, "Just a minute!"as I ran to the bathroom and grabbed a robe and put it on. I grabbed the other robe and threw it at Leah and waited for her to get it on then I opened the door.

A young man in a white jacket and black pants smiled and said, "Good morning! I have your breakfast." I invited him in and he set the tray on the table and asked if we needed anything else.

"No, this is fine. Thank you very much," I told him. He smiled and walked out and closed the door behind him.

Leah walked over and said, "I smell coffee." She poured us each a cup of coffee and then looked in the basket and said, "Ooo, warm croissants." She took one out and tore off a piece and ate it. "Oh my God, these are delicious." There was fresh fruit, croissants, scrambled eggs, bacon, orange juice and coffee. We sat down and ate everything on the tray!

"Wouldn't it be great to have someone bring that to your door every morning?" I asked.

She smiled and said, "Oh yea. Is there any more coffee?" I picked up the pot and poured the last of the coffee into her cup. "Thanks, babe," she said as she took a drink.

I cleaned up our dishes and piled everything on the tray while Leah got up and opened the drapes. "Wow, look at this view!" We looked through the huge window at the water, and the mountains in the distance. It really was beautiful.

Leah drank the rest of her coffee standing there staring out the window. I walked up behind her and put my arms around her waist. She leaned back into me and sighed. I just stood there and held her and enjoyed the moment. "Are you happy?" I asked softly.

"Mmm, yes. I like being married," she answered. "Do you think Phil would mind if we just stayed here forever?"

I chuckled. "Uh, yea, he might mind not being able to rent out this incredibly expensive room." I turned her to face me and asked, "Are you dreading going home?"

She smiled, "No. Although, I'm not sure I want to face our moms." I smiled at that. I wasn't looking forward to that either. "It's just . . . we've spent the last couple of days just wrapped up in each other. It's like I've been able to shut out the outside world and concentrate on you and me. And, I know that can't go on. I can't even imagine how long it's going to take me to get caught up at school." She laid her forehead on my chest.

"I know," I said. "But you will get caught up. And we can still shut out the world every now and then and concentrate on just you and me. Especially when we move into our house. We can spend weekends just like this if you want to."

She lifted her head and looked at me. "I really love you, Embry. You always know the exact thing to make me feel better. How do you do that?"

"Oh baby, I've had years of practice with women. You're number 43 remember?" She laughed and started smacking me. I grabbed her arms and held them down and then kissed her on the lips. She sighed into my mouth and I let go of her arms so she could wrap them around my neck. She pulled away from my lips and asked, "Didn't you say something about a bath?"

I smiled and said, "Yes, I did."

Much, much later, after we had enjoyed our wonderful bath and made love again, we decided that it was time to get out of bed and get dressed and go home. Leah had her underwear on and was looking for her bra, as I pulled on my pants and shirt. "Found it!" she called out triumphantly as I laughed. She put it on and reached for her dress and stepped into it and pulled it up. "Can you zip me?" she asked. I nodded and stepped over and zipped it up. She turned and said, "Thanks. You know when I bought this dress, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would get married in it!"

I laughed at that. "Well, it may not look like your typical wedding dress, but I love it. It fits you perfectly."

She smiled and kissed me. "Thank you, husband. You're very sweet."

I finished buttoning my shirt and tucked it into my pants then zipped them and buckled my belt. I rolled my tie and stuffed it into my jacket pocket then walked over to the bed to put on my shoes and socks. Leah came out of the bathroom and said, "It was nice of Phil to make sure we had toothbrushes and toothpaste."

"Yea. What a guy. I could never in a million years imagine we would get married in a place like this and get to spend our wedding night in a room this great."

"I know. I think we should come back here for our first anniversary. What do you think?" she asked me.

"I think that's a great idea. As long as we can have another chocolate mousse cake. That was fucking awesome."

She laughed. "OK, we'll make sure we request another chocolate mousse cake."

I stood up and put my arms around her. "Ready to go?"

"No, but we need to," she answered. "Come on." She grabbed her purse and her purple wrap as I put on my jacket. Then we looked around to make sure we had everything.

"OK, let's go," I said as I held the door for her. We walked out of the room and down the long, winding staircase. When we got to the bottom, Leah looked around and found where the check-in desk was. She tapped the little bell on the desk and Phil walked out of a door to the left, which must have been his office. "Hello! How was your room?"

"Wonderful," Leah gushed. "I hated to leave it. We have already decided we are coming back here next year for our first anniversary."

Phil smiled and said, "That is great! I would love for you to come back." I handed Phil our key and Leah opened her purse to get her credit card out of her wallet. "Put your wallet away, Leah. Your room has already been taken care of."

We both looked at him in surprise. "No, you didn't have to do that. It's too much!" Leah protested.

"No, it's not, and I didn't do it. Harry took care of it last night before he left. He said it was his wedding gift to you both."

Leah looked at me in disbelief. "Why would he do something like that? He doesn't even know us."

"Well, you don't know Harry. This is exactly the kind of thing he does. He has been a widower now for almost fifteen years. He loved his wife very much and he misses her. When he sees an opportunity to help out a couple like you, he does so, in her memory," Phil explained.

"Do you have his address so we can at least send him a card to say thank you?" Leah asked.

"Yes, I do. I'll get it for you," Phil answered.

"Can you believe that?" Leah asked me. "This is amazing."

I smiled and said, "It just proves to me that us getting married was the right thing to do. It's like it was destined to happen or something."

She smiled and nodded. Phil came back and handed Leah a card with the judge's address written on it. "Thank you," Leah said as she stuck it in her purse. "And, thank you, Phil, for everything. We really appreciate your kindness and your generosity."

"You're very welcome." He held out a small manila envelope and said, "Here are your wedding pictures. I wish you both the best."

Leah took them and said, "Oh, wow! I forgot you took pictures. This is awesome. Thank you again!"

I shook his hand and we said goodbye and walked out to the car. Leah turned and took a look at the house in the daylight. "Wow. What a place!"

I agreed as I opened the car door for her. She got in and I walked around to get in and close the door. She quickly opened the envelope and we put our heads together as we looked at the pictures. Leah smiled as she looked at each one, and then when we were done, she said, "I still can't believe we did this." I laughed and said, "Well, now you have proof." I started the engine and said to her, "Here we go." She smiled and leaned back as I put the Jeep in gear and took off for home.

As we were nearing LaPush, I asked, "Where do you want to go first? Your house or my house?"

"Well, we should go to your house so you can pack up what you'll need to move in with me," she answered.

"Did you even mention to your mom that I would be moving in?"

"Um, no I don't think I did. But you're my husband now. Of course you're going to live with me."

"Yes, but don't you think it would be polite to at least say something? I mean, it is her house."

She sighed. "OK, boss, I'll call her."

I laughed. "Yea, you got that right. I'm the boss and don't you forget it."

"I'm sorry? What? Did you say something?" she teased as she dialed her phone. "Hey, Mom," she said as her mom answered. "Yea, we're on our way home. Um, you know when we talked last night, I don't think I mentioned that Embry and I would like to live with you for a month until Embry's parents move into their new house. Then, we will move into that house. Is that OK with you?" She listened for a little bit then said, "Thanks, Mom. We really appreciate it." She talked a little longer then hung up. "See? I told you she wouldn't care," she said to me.

"That's not the point, Leah. It's just that it's her house and she should have the right to say yes or no. I don't want to be an unwelcome guest," I told her.

"Well, for your information, she told me that you were now family and of course it was alright if you moved in. And, she said that she knew Seth would appreciate having another guy in the house."

I smiled at that. We were now "officially" brothers, I guess. That was cool with me.

I pulled up to my house and parked beside the truck. "Looks like Dad did go to work today. His truck is gone," I commented as I got out of the Jeep. Leah got out and followed me up the steps. I went to open the door and it was locked. "Hmm, Mom must be gone, too." Her car was still here. That's strange.

"Maybe your dad went to work on the new house and your mom went with him," Leah suggested as I unlocked the door and we walked inside.

"Yea, maybe." I walked into my room and took off my suit jacket and hung it up on the hanger. Then I went to my dresser and opened a drawer and took out an old velvet ring box. I turned to Leah and said, "First things first." She gave me a curious look then she saw the box. I opened it and took out the wedding ring that matched the engagement ring on her finger. She smiled. "Give me your hand," I said. She held it up and I removed the engagement ring and put the two rings together then I said, "With this ring, I thee wed," as I slipped both onto her finger.

Then she looked up at me and I kissed her. "Now, it's official," I told her with a smile. "It's beautiful," she said softly.

I stepped back and pulled out an old gym bag from under my bed. "Now, I need to pack."

"Is that all you have? Don't you have a suitcase or something?" Leah asked.

"Why would I need a suitcase? Last night was the first night I have ever stayed anywhere except Jake's, Quil's, Sam's or your house. I had never spent a night outside of LaPush."

"Really? Wow, I didn't realize that."

"Yea, I guess I'm not much of a world traveler," I told her as I pulled open drawers and stuffed clothes into the gym bag. She sat down on my bed as I gathered what I thought I would need. "I guess I don't have to take everything. It's not that far to come here and get what I need, and we'll be back here in a month anyway."

"Yea. Except, we may have to bring my bed or get a new one. I'm sorry, babe, but the two of us in this bed just doesn't work."

I laughed when I remembered us trying to do it in my bed and how I fell out onto the floor. "Yea, I agree. And we'll have to move into the other bedroom and maybe make this one into a baby's room," I said as I zipped the bag shut. Leah was really quiet and I looked over at her. "What?"

She looked up and said, "Nothing." She got up and walked out to the living room. I walked out of the room and stopped in the bathroom to pick up my toothbrush, hairbrush and razor and threw them into the bag then I went out to find her sitting on the couch. I sat down beside her and said, "Hey, what's wrong?"

She looked at me and said, "I really hope we need a baby's room."

I put my arm around her and said, "Of course we'll need a baby's room. Don't worry about that, OK? You and I were put together to pass on these royal genes of ours. You know we'll have babies. Maybe more than we can handle! We might have a whole litter and need a bigger house!"

I could feel her laugh at that. "I don't want a litter. Just one will do for now." She looked at me and I kissed her.

"Leah, when it's time for a baby, the baby will be here. I promise."

"Embry, um, I know I should have told you, but . . . "

"What?"

"Well, I quit taking the pill back in December."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. I guess it was all the excitement over Emily being pregnant, and your mom . . . but remember after Lily was born and we were sitting on the bench outside the hospital? I remember thinking then that we should be married first before we become parents, so I decided I would go back on the pill. But, I got so busy with school and work, and , I never made it to the doctor. So, I never got another prescription."

"So, you're saying that you have been off of the pill for months, and . . . are you trying to tell me you're pregnant?" I asked her. I secretly hoped not. I wasn't ready for that!

"No! No. I just wanted you to know that I have been off of the pill for months and so far, nothing has happened. It makes me wonder if I can even get pregnant," she said sadly.

"Leah, you know that while we are phasing, we stop aging. Maybe your body is, I don't know, on hold or something. When you decide to stop phasing, it will work again. Does that make sense?"

She nodded. "Yea, I guess it does."

"Don't be in such a hurry. I mean, don't you want to finish school first?"

"I suppose. I mean, yes, I do, but . . . every time I hold Lily, I feel like that's all I want is to be a mom."

"And you'll be a great mom." She smiled. "But, I'd like us to be married for just a little while before we become parents. I want to spend time with just you. I know that sounds selfish, but . . . "

"No, it's not. I get that, and I want that, too. I know we're young." She looked at me with a smile and said, "You're not even 19 yet! I'm such a cradle robber."

I laughed at that. "Oh yea, you're so old. You're only a year and a half older than me. Don't start."

She smiled at that. "OK, so we'll be married people for awhile and when it's time for babies, we'll have some. How's that?"

I took her face into my hands and said, "Sounds good. But, more than anything, I want you to be happy."

"I am. I am really happy," she said with a beautiful smile. I kissed her softly and then said, "Good. Stay that way."

"Yes, sir," she replied. We kissed a little more then she said, "We better go." I nodded, stood up and grabbed my bag. When we got to the door, I reached down and grabbed my work boots. I knew it was time to get back to work. Jake and I would be moving to the new shop next week. I was really excited about that.

I walked out to the Jeep and threw my boots and bag into the back just as Dad drove in and parked the truck. He got out dressed up in a suit! Mom got out and walked around to me wearing a nice dress. _Why were they all dressed up? _"Hey, welcome back!" Mom said as she hugged me. I looked to see Dad hug Leah and congratulate her. "Thanks," I said as she let me go. "But why are you and Dad so dressed up?" And then I knew. _Shit_. _Me and my big mouth._

Her smile disappeared and she looked at Dad. I looked over at Dad and he said, "We went to the funeral." He still had his arm around Leah and I was glad because I thought she might faint. All of the color drained from her face as I rushed around the Jeep to her. She reached for me and clung to me as I held her. "We missed it," she said quietly. _Good,_ I thought. There was no way in hell I was going to that funeral, and I didn't want to have to argue with Leah about it.

"I'm sorry. We thought we'd have a chance to get home and get changed before you got here," Dad said. I nodded and held Leah as Mom came over to stand beside Dad. "Let's get her inside," she suggested. Dad unlocked the door and we all went inside. I took Leah to the couch and we sat down. Dad sat down in the chair and said, "I'm sorry, son. I shouldn't have told you."

"Yes, you should have. I knew when I saw you. I didn't really have to ask. Leah mentioned it to me last night. She wondered if there would be one."

"It was very small. Just Jason and a few of their family that's left there on the Makah Reservation and your mom and me. It was at the cemetery. He's buried beside his mom and dad."

I nodded. Leah just sat there, quietly staring at the floor. She was letting her guilt get to her, but I wasn't. I was glad he was dead and I hoped he was rotting in Hell right now. He would have shot and killed me if Sam and Leah hadn't showed up when they did. And I was convinced he would have raped Leah had Seth and I not found them in time. I hated him now for how he was making Leah feel. I was trying hard to control my anger because I didn't want to go off on Leah right now.

Dad said, "It's over now. It's done. Put it behind you and move on. You're married! Start your married life now and be happy."

I looked at him and smiled. "We are happy, Dad. Last night was the happiest night of my life." I looked over at Leah and shook her a little. "Hey, Leah?" She looked at me. "Did you hear what Dad just said?"

She nodded and looked at Dad. "I am happy, too. I really am. I love Embry with all my heart and I'm really happy to be his wife. I know I have to stop . . ." she closed her eyes and stopped talking. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes and said, "I know that you can tell me over and over that this is not my fault. And I know that, and I believe that. But it doesn't take away the guilt I feel. I wanted to go to that funeral to tell his brother how sorry I am that this had to happen. I mean, he's gone . . . he took a gun and he . . . " she was crying now, "and I can't help but feel that if it weren't for me, he might still have a chance at a decent life. You did it, Josh! You figured it out. Why couldn't he? Why couldn't he have stayed there and at least TRIED! Why did he have to come here and . . . and tell me he loves me and . . . I couldn't love him! I had to reject him. I had to! I love Embry. I will ALWAYS love Embry. Why would he think if he killed the one man I love most in the world that I would turn and LOVE him? Why . . . did he . . . have to . . . shoot himself? Why?" She was sobbing as I pulled her to me and wrapped my arms around her.

I had tears flowing down my face by this time. _It's a good thing you're dead, you fucking bastard, or I would hunt you down and rip your fucking heart out right now._ That anger that I was trying so hard to bury was shooting to the surface. I pushed her to sit up and I looked at her and said angrily, "Damnit, Leah. That bastard tried to fucking kill me! Why can't you be angry at that? Why is it that you are so sorry that he's dead? Cause I'm not. He was never going to give up trying to get you, even if it meant killing me to do it. "

She sat up and looked at me through her tears. "I . . . oh, Embry, I didn't mean . . ."

Dad touched me on the shoulder and said, "Get up, Embry. I need to talk to Leah." I looked at him in surprise, but then I got up so he could sit next to her. I walked out to the kitchen and stood in front of the sink and looked out the window. I was still pissed and needed some space from her. As Dad was talking, I finally made my way back to sit in the chair beside him.

"Leah, look at me," he said. She was trying hard to stop crying and she wiped her eyes and looked at him. "I imprinted on Angie and it was hell to leave her and go north. But I did it because I loved her so much that I didn't want to do anything to hurt her. And I stayed away from her for nine long years to keep her safe from me. I didn't leave that reservation until I was sure that I could handle being around her and not hurt her. THAT is love. I loved her enough to stay away from her. Understand?" Leah nodded. "What Josiah felt for you was not love. It was obsession. He was obsessed with the thought of you, with the thought of having sex with you. I told him to stay there, and I tried my best to tell him how to get through it and he didn't listen. He made the choice to come here and put you in danger for his own selfish needs. That is NOT love. I know you felt friendship for him and you cared about him. That's because you have a good heart. It's the one thing I love best about you. You care about people and you want to see them happy. That's why I'm here! You wanted Embry to have his father and you went out and found me and brought me home. But some people can't be saved, no matter how much you want it. Josiah was never going to accept what he was, or learn to live with it. He told me that when I took him north. I thought then that he was just rebelling and he would figure it out like I did. But he didn't. And I am so sorry that you and Embry had to pay the price for his selfishness. You had to witness his ultimate act of selfishness when he turned that gun on himself. And I don't want you to pay that price the rest of your lives." He pulled Leah to him and rested his chin on her head and then he reached out and took my hand.

"You two are very precious to me. And I would do anything, ANYTHING, to take this pain away from you. But I can't. Only you can do that. You have each other and that's wonderful. Hold onto each other with everything you have and you will get through this. But you have to try, and try hard, to put this behind you." He let go of my hand and pushed Leah to sit up so he could look her in the eye. "Can you do that, honey? Can you try hard to put this in the past where it belongs and get back to living your life?"

"I want to, so much," she answered shakily.

Dad smiled. "Good. That's a start." He hugged her to him again and said, "I love you, Leah. I couldn't have picked a better wife for my son. I'm so glad you're a part of this family." I looked over at Mom and saw that she was crying, too.

Leah looked over at me and said, "Embry, I'm sorry. Of course I'm angry that he tried to kill you. I've been so selfish over all of this, and I haven't been there for you. That's not right."

Dad got up and went to Mom so I could sit by Leah again. "Look, I'm so sick of all of this shit. Can we please put it behind us and concentrate on us? On our marriage?"

She smiled. "Yes. I want that. I really do."

"OK then. This is a happy day! I'm a married man, damnit. I want us to be happy about that!" I stated loudly.

Dad laughed and so did Leah. Mom just looked at me with a smile and shook her head. Dad said, "I agree with the kid. Let's see some happiness, right now!"

Leah and Mom both put on big fake smiles and Dad laughed. "That's better." Then he turned to me and said, "I'm proud of you, son. Congratulations."

Leah stood up as Mom handed her a box of Kleenex so they could wipe their faces and blow their noses. Then Leah walked over to Dad and said, "Thank you, Josh. I really needed to hear what you had to say. I know he had problems, and I tried hard to help him. But, you're right. Some people can't be saved, no matter how bad you want it. I need to face that. Thank you." She put her arms around him as he said, "You're welcome, honey." Then she smiled at him and moved to stand by me.

"So, where were you headed when we came home?" Mom asked.

"To Leah's. I'm going to stay there with her now that we are married, until you two move to the new house. You two can have a little alone time before the new baby gets here."

"Sounds good to me," Dad said. "Does this mean I can walk around naked now anytime I want?" he asked Mom.

She just rolled her eyes and I said, "Ew, gross, Dad!" He laughed at that.

"Well, I'll miss you," Mom said to me. "We've lived here together for 18 years, you and I."

"Yea, I'll miss you, too." I walked over and pulled her close. "But it's like five minutes away. I'll be around, Mom. It's not like I'm leaving forever."

"I know. It's just . . . changes. Sometimes it's hard. We have had a lot of changes in the last year."

"But good changes. We went from being a family of two, to a family of . . . " I had to count in my head: _Sam and Emily, that's 4, Dad, 5, Lily, 6 and now Leah 7._ "Seven! And soon, we'll be eight. It's amazing, really."

She smiled and put her hand on her stomach. "I know. I never would have imagined it." I kissed her on the cheek and said, "Mom, we're really lucky, you and me." She smiled and nodded. "I know. I'm so thankful every day."

Dad looked at me and said, "Hey, I wanted to let you know that I called a lawyer this morning about the name change. He already has it in the works and it won't be long until you are 'officially' an Uley."

"Awesome! Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome. So, Leah, you may want to hold off on changing your name with Social Security and getting a new driver's license. Once this comes through, the name change will be for you, too."

"That means a lot to both of us. I can't wait," I told him. I looked over to Leah and said, "We better go. I'm tired and hungry and I think we need to have some down time. We'll see you soon, I promise."

Mom nodded and Dad went to put his arm around her. "See you two later," he said.

We said goodbye and walked out the door to the Jeep. Once we were both inside Leah said, "Embry? I can't believe how selfish I've been. I really want to apologize for that."

"Thanks, Leah, but let's just be done with all that, OK?"

"OK." Then she added, "Your dad is an amazing man."

I smiled. "Yea, he is."

"And he has an amazing son," she added with a smile.

"I think so," I said smugly as I started the car.

She smiled and said, "I've always thought that about Sam."

I dropped my jaw and looked at her and she laughed. I smiled as I listened to that laugh. It was like music to my ears. I laughed and put the Jeep in gear and pulled out of the drive. I was very thankful that Dad helped to bring it back.


	70. Chapter 69

CHAPTER 69

Leah POV:

I felt so much better after Josh talked to me. He was right about Josiah being selfish. I needed to hear that and to face that. I was determined to put it all behind me and go on living. I had a very handsome husband now who needed me. I would stop feeling so sorry for myself and step up and be there for him. I looked over at him and smiled. He was so handsome and fun and sexy and smart and kind and . . . well, perfect. He looked over and smiled back and I felt my heart skip a beat. I was so lucky to have him and I would spend the rest of my life letting him know that.

Embry pulled up to park beside his truck. He got out and grabbed his bag and joined me on the walk. We walked hand in hand to the front door and then he stopped. He let go of my hand to move his hand to my face. "I love you, Mrs. Call, soon to be Uley," he said softly. Then he put his lips gently on mine and kissed me so tenderly. When he pulled back I smiled and said, "Thank you. I love you, too." He smiled and opened the door for me to walk in.

As soon as I walked in I heard "SURPRISE!" and we looked to see a room full of people shouting and smiling at us.

"What the hell?" Embry said under his breath. His eyes were wide with surprise. Mine, too.

Mom came up to us and said, "We couldn't let you get married without a party." She hugged us both then we were surrounded by everyone we loved. The whole pack was here along with Emily and Lily and Kim and Rachel and even Claire! She was hanging on Embry's leg begging him to pick her up. He did and she gave him one of her famous "smoochy" kisses on his cheek, then she leaned over and gave me one. Then Quil took her as Embry was attacked by Abby.

"Oh my gosh, you guys! I can't believe you just went and got married!" She let go of Embry and turned to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me tight. "I thought Seth was playing a joke on me." I wiggled free to look at her. "I felt so bad about what happened and I wanted to come and be with you both. But Seth told me you got all dressed up and went out. And the next thing he tells me is you got married! I'm so happy for you guys, I really am." I looked over at Embry who was laughing at Abby. I joined him. She was really sweet, but when she got going, it was hard to stop her.

"Thanks, Abby. We're really happy, too. I'm sorry you didn't get to be a bridesmaid."

Her face lit up and she gasped. "You would have let me be a bridesmaid? Oh, Leah. I've never been a bridesmaid. That is so cool." Seth was standing next to Embry and he rolled his eyes at Embry and smiled.

"Of course I would have, Abby." I leaned in closer and said softly, "We're sisters, remember?"

"Yes, I remember. I've missed hanging out with you."

I had been so busy with school and work and Embry and . . . well, Abby had kind of been lost in the shuffle. "Yea, I've missed you, too. I have a lot of homework to catch up on, but on Friday, I'll pick you up at school and we'll go rent some movies and order pizza and have a girl's night. We'll kick Embry and Seth out and spend some time just you and me. OK? We have a lot of catching up to do."

"I would love that. Thanks, Leah." She hugged me again and I hugged her back. I wasn't lying to her. I really did miss her.

Finally Seth interrupted and said, "Um, can I have a chance to hug my sister?" Abby laughed and stepped back. Seth took me in his arms and held me close. "Man, I can't believe you're a married woman. It's kind of weird."

"I know, but I like it," I said. He pulled back and smiled. "I like it, too. Now there will be another guy around. Too many women bossing me around all the time." Embry laughed and said, "Well, that probably won't change, bro. She bosses me around, too." I smacked him and said, "Yea, but you like it."

Sam pushed his way over and gave us a look. Seth said, "Uh-oh, I'm out of here." He grabbed Abby and they moved on.

I looked at Sam and said, "What? You gave us an order to have fun. You just didn't say how to have fun."

He smiled, shook his head and said, "You never cease to amaze me, Leah. Every time I think you are at your weakest, you rise above it and grow stronger. I'm proud of you." He took me in his arms and held me tight. "You've come so far, baby. And now, here you are . . . you're my sister. How weird is that?" I laughed and said, "Weird, but good. This way we can still be in each other's lives. I'm happy about that, Sam." He pulled back and looked in my eyes as he said, "Me, too." Then he kissed me on the cheek. "Welcome to the Uley Family, Leah."

I looked over at Embry and he smiled at me. He had his arm around Emily who was holding Lily. Em stepped up and kissed me on the cheek then said to Lily, "Here, say hello to Aunt Leah." She handed Lily to me and I took in her sweet baby smell and kissed her on the head. Sam and Emily moved on to help with the food and left Lily with me. Embry put his arm around me and kissed Lily. "You do look good holding a baby," he whispered to me. I smiled at him.

It was so awesome that everyone came to help us celebrate. Paul and Rachel came along with Jared and Kim, who took Lily from me. She was getting fussy, which we assumed meant she was probably hungry, so Kim took her to find Em and get a bottle.

That's when Billy, Bella and Jake came up. Jake picked me up and twirled me around. "God, I can't believe you guys just went off and got married," he said as he set me down. "That is so fucking awesome!"

I laughed and said, "Yea, it was. You and Bella should consider it."

"I will, believe me," he said with a grin as he looked over his shoulder at Bella. She didn't hear him. She was congratulating Embry. She moved over to me and said, "Wow, Leah. I'm happy for you guys."

"Thanks, Bella." That's about all we had to say to each other. Jake pulled Embry in for a bro hug and said, "Man, I always thought I'd get a chance to be your best man." He let go and gave him a little shove as he said, "And what about the bachelor party? Dude!"

Embry laughed and said, "Well, just because I'm not a bachelor anymore doesn't mean we can't still have a party."

"You got it. Friday night, bonfire on the beach, just the guys," Jake said with a grin. Embry looked at me and I smiled. "Fine by me. Just don't get so drunk you don't remember where you live," I told him.

"I'm shocked you would think that I would try to get my best friend drunk. I don't think I could afford that much beer!" Jake said with a laugh.

Billy congratulated us both and then they all went into join the party. Embry and I just stood there for a second and took it all in. I leaned toward him and said, "I'm going to run upstairs and change real quick. I feel a little exposed in this dress around all our friends and family."

He laughed and said, "You just don't like how Paul was looking at your boobs!" I smacked him and went upstairs to find something more appropriate to wear. I went into my room and closed the door and leaned against if for a moment. I loved that everyone was here, but I really didn't get much sleep last night and I was so tired. All that we had been through in the last couple of days was really getting to me.

I took off the shoes and got out of the dress and threw it over my desk chair. I pulled out a sundress that hid my boobs a little better and didn't hug my body so tight. I slipped that on and pulled out a pair of sandals. I brushed my hair and put it back with a headband. I was going to add some make-up, but I didn't want to take the time. I felt better. It was time to rejoin the party.

I walked downstairs to find Josh and Angie walking in. Embry looked at them and said, "You knew about this, didn't you? When we were there!" Josh laughed and said, "Of course we did." Angie hugged Embry and laughed. "I'm sorry we missed you walking in. Were you surprised?"

"Yes, we were," I said as I walked up. "But pleasantly surprised. Come on in and join the party!"

Mom and Emily had knocked themselves out and provided a huge buffet of food. And there was a wedding cake! I walked over to Mom and said, "You didn't have to do all this."

She smiled and hugged me. "Of course I did. My only daughter just got married. That's cause to celebrate."

"I'm sorry you weren't there. I know you feel bad about that, don't you?"

"Yes, I did. But seeing you and Embry so happy, well, that makes it OK." I handed her the envelope of pictures that Phil had given me before we left. "Here. At least I can share it with you through pictures." She smiled and we looked through them together. "Oh, Leah. You looked so beautiful. And this house! Tell me about it." We spent a few minutes going through the pictures as I told her all about it. Emily had come up and joined us and she listened and commented. I told them to go ahead and pass them around. I looked around for Embry. He was with Seth and Jake and Quil and they were all laughing about something. He looked so relaxed. I smiled just as he found me across the room. He smiled back and winked at me. _God, I love that man._

I walked over to the food table and filled a plate. Abby found me and chatted about how Emily let her watch Lily all by herself for the first time. She was so excited! We found a place to sit and eat. It wasn't long before Embry and Seth joined us and I found myself telling them the story of how we got married. Abby was completely engrossed in my story, and afterward claimed it was the most romantic thing she had ever heard. Seth rolled his eyes and Embry chuckled.

I looked over at Seth and said, "Just wait, little brother. It'll happen to you someday."

He got real quiet and I realized maybe I shouldn't have said that. Abby looked at him and then mumbled something about being thirsty as she got up and walked to the kitchen. I looked over at Seth and said, "OK, what did I say?"

"Nothing. It's OK," he said into his plate.

"Seth? What? Tell me," I probed.

He looked up and said, "It's just that Abby and I were talking last night and she said something about 'when we get married,' and I freaked! I told her I was only 16, I wasn't ready to think about get married. And that upset her. She said she didn't mean right now, and I guess somehow she thought I meant not ever. It was a huge stupid argument."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Me and my big mouth."

"No, it was me and my big mouth. I told her I was sorry, and that I loved her and that maybe someday I would think about marriage, but I just couldn't now. I told her about wanting to go to college and be a doctor and how long that would take. She told me she was OK, but I guess she really isn't."

"Do you want me to talk to her?" I asked. He just shrugged, which meant, _yes, take care of this for me_. I smiled and patted his leg. Then I got up to go and find Abby. I walked into the kitchen and there she was, mixing some lemonade in a pitcher. She was staring at the pitcher and stirring very slowly. "Hey, Abby," I said as I touched her shoulder.

She looked up and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to run off like that."

"Yes, you did. Seth told me about your fight last night. He didn't mean it like it sounded. I know he loves you."

She looked at me and sighed. "I know he does, too. It's not that. It's just . . . we have one more year of high school after this one, and then he'll go off to college for four years, then med school, then he has to do a residency. That's a long time to wait to be together."

I put my arm around her shoulders and said, "But, you might not have to wait that long. Maybe you could get married after college. You want to go to college, too, don't you?"

"Me? I don't get grades good enough for college. I manage to get by to stay on the cheer team, but, that's it."

"Well, I can help you with that. Maybe we could have a study session once a week and I can help you with whatever you need help with. I'm going to be a teacher, you know, so that would help me, too."

She smiled and said, "I'd like that. Thanks."

"But it still doesn't solve the problem, does it?" She shook her head. "Listen, Abby. Maybe you and Seth will get married someday, and maybe you won't. But right now, you're both 16 and in love and happy. You have the freedom to go to school and go to games and dances and just be kids. Just concentrate on that right now, OK? The future will fall into place like it's supposed to."

She gave me a sad smile and said, "Seventeen." I looked at her curiously and she said, "I'm 17 now."

"What? You had a birthday and you didn't tell me? When?"

"The day that Emily and Lily came home from the hospital. I didn't say anything because it was a big day for them. I knew Emily would want to make a fuss, and I didn't want her to."

"Abby! Your birthday is a big deal! We need to make a fuss over you. I can't believe you didn't say anything. Not even to Seth?" She shook her head. "Well, I hope you know that now, we have to have a birthday party. I will talk to Emily and we will plan one."

"You don't have to do that, really, Leah."

"Oh yes, we do. Abby, we love you. We want to celebrate things like this with you. Don't you know that by now?

"I'm just not used to this. To being a part of a family. My mom never did anything for my birthday. The last couple of years she forgot completely."

"Well, that is wrong and it's not going to happen again, hear me?" I hugged her and said, "You are a great girl, Abby. It's time you started believing that."

I let her go and she smiled. "Come on, let's take this lemonade out and set it on the table." She nodded and picked it up and we walked back out to join the party.

Abby went for the table and Seth came running over to me. "Is she OK?"

"Yes, I think so. I told her to just be 16 and have fun and don't worry so much about the future. Then she informed me that she was now 17. Did you know that her birthday was on the day Emily came home from the hospital and she didn't want to say anything because she didn't want to spoil Emily and Lily's day?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Seth asked.

"No, I'm not. I told her that was not acceptable and we would be planning a party."

"I can't believe she didn't even tell me," he said sadly.

"Look, Seth. She's not used to people making a fuss over her, you know that. That bitch of a mother of hers never did anything for her. So, we have to keep letting her know that we care about her and want to be there for her."

Seth smiled. "Thanks, sis."

"You're welcome. Now, go over and whisper in her ear that you want to talk to her, alone. Then take her into some dark corner and kiss her. That will help more than me talking to her."

"I can do that," he said with a grin then he turned and went over to Abby. I saw him lean down to her ear and . . . there it is, the Abby smile. He took her hand and as they walked by, he held his hand out behind him and I slapped it. Then I laughed and shook my head. Embry came up and said, "What are you up to? You have that look."

I filled him in on the Abby/Seth drama. "YOU told him to take her into a dark corner to make out? You've been around me too long," he said with a smile.

Mom asked us to cut the cake and we did. We fed each other a small bite like we did last night. Emily snapped a picture for us then she and Rachel cut the cake for everyone else. Embry and I ate a piece and he whispered, "Not quite as good as the chocolate mousse cake." I smiled. He was right.

Since everyone kept asking us about where we got married, Embry asked for everyone's attention, then he told the story to everyone all at once. They were all amazed at how everything happened, just like we were. Angie was came over to stand beside me and said, "It was meant to be, wasn't it?"

I looked at her and said with a smile, "That's just what Embry said." She laughed at that.

The party finally started breaking up as people went home. We said our goodbyes, and plopped down on the couch. "I'm exhausted," I said to Embry. He nodded and laid his head back. Mom walked in and plopped down into the chair. "That was fun, but I am tired."

"Thanks, again, Mom, for everything," I said. Embry raised his head and said, "Yea, Sue, thanks. This was great."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you both enjoyed it. I think I'll leave the rest of the clean-up for tomorrow. I'm beat." She stood up and asked, "Are you going to school tomorrow, honey?"

"I don't think so. I think I'll just stay home the rest of this week and work on the assignments I missed and try and get caught up. I'll go back on Monday."

She nodded. "What about you?" she said to Embry.

"I'm going to work tomorrow. I need to get back. We are moving to the new shop next week," he answered.

"OK. Well, I traded with Connie to get today off, so I am working tomorrow night. I'll see you in the morning, honey."

"Goodnight, Mom," I called out as she went upstairs. I looked over at Embry and smiled. "You get to walk upstairs and sleep in bed with me. No sneaking. Isn't that cool?"

He smiled and said, "Very cool." Then he stood up and held out his hand. I took it and pulled me up then led me to the stairs. Just then Seth came in from taking Abby home. "Hey," he said. "Going to bed?"

"Yes, we're pretty tired. You and Abby OK?" I asked.

He grinned and said, "Oh yea. We're good." Embry held his hand up and Seth slapped it. Then he looked at me and said, "Come on, wife." He still held my hand so he pulled me after him up the stairs. "Goodnight!" I called to Seth.

"Night, you guys," he called back.

We walked into my room and I closed the door. Embry unbuttoned his shirt and threw it on the floor. "Man, I can't believe how tired I am," he said as he unzipped his pants and took them off. Then he sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled off his socks. I had already pulled my dress off and opened a drawer and pulled out a clean nightshirt. I took off my bra and slipped the shirt over my head.

I looked over to see Embry already lying back against the pillows. I smiled and turned out the light and walked over to the bed. I crawled in and leaned down to kiss Embry on the lips. "What time do you want the alarm set?"

"Um, seven-thirty is good," he said. I set the alarm then turned and kissed him again and said, "Goodnight, husband." He kissed me back and said, "Goodnight, wife." Then I snuggled up to him and closed my eyes and was asleep in no time.


	71. Chapter 70

CHAPTER 70

Embry POV:

Leah and I settled into married life very easily. Living at Sue's was a little strange at first, but I got used to it pretty quickly. I went back to work and Leah went back to college and work. At least now we could see each other in the evenings and sleep together every night. On the weekends, when she would work at the restaurant, I would help Dad work on their new house. It was coming along really fast now. They were right on target to move out at the end of April.

Jake and I moved into Mr. Collins' garage. There was room for all our tools and we had not one, but two lifts! We were like kids in a toy store. And Mr. Collins was great to work with. He had already taught us so much, but now he also spent time with Jake on how to run the business. I told him I was a grease monkey, and that was OK with me. He could take care of the business end of things. I would trust Jake with my life. I knew he would do a good job and watch out for us both.

Emily and Leah threw a birthday party for Abby and she really had a great time. She invited her fellow cheerleaders and Sam allowed her to invite a few boys. He put me on make out patrol because he said I knew all the tricks! I did my job well. When it was over, Abby thanked us over and over. She said it was one of the best days of her life. That made me happy and sad. She had to wait 17 years for her birth to be celebrated. It gave me a new appreciation for my mom. We didn't have much growing up, but I always knew she loved me.

Moving day finally came and Sam and I helped Mom and Dad move to the new house. Dad moved in his stuff from storage, so Mom left us the living room furniture and the kitchen table and chairs. Leah and I took a couple of days to repaint Mom's bedroom a nice turquoise color. I told her she could paint, but I didn't want anything too girly. This was our compromise. We moved her bed and dresser into that room, and put her desk in my room with her laptop. That way, she would have somewhere to do homework.

Once we moved all of her clothes and things in, I said to her, "Come with me." I took her by the hand and walked her outside. She looked at me curiously and asked, "Where are we going?"

"Right here," I told her as I stopped on the front steps. I reached down and scooped her up into my arms and said, "I want to do this properly and carry my bride over the threshold." She laughed at me as I carried her back inside and shut the door. "There, now it's official. We're home."

She leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips. "There's nowhere else I would rather be," she said with a smile. I had to agree with her. Home was perfect.

"Embry, wake up. Your phone is ringing," Leah said sleepily as she shook my shoulder. I opened my eyes and grabbed my phone. "Hello?"

"Embry! It's your dad. I'm taking your mom to the hospital."

"Now? It's too soon!" She still had almost a month until her due date.

"Look, I'm driving. I'll call you again when I know more." And he was gone. I closed the phone and sat there staring at it.

"What?" Leah asked as she sat up. "Embry?"

"Um, that was Dad. He's taking Mom to the hospital."

"Oh, that's what you meant by too soon."

I got out of bed and pulled on my jeans. "I'm going to the hospital," I told her. I walked over to the drawer and pulled out a t-shirt and slipped it over my head. I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and by the time I got to the living room to pull on my shoes, Leah was dressed and going into the bathroom. When she came into the living room I asked her, "Should I call Sam?"

"It's the middle of the night. Let's wait until we know more, then we'll call." I nodded and stood up and looked for my keys. Leah already had hers in her hand, so we left the house and took the Jeep to the hospital in Forks.

We parked and walked in through the ER entrance and Leah walked up to the desk and asked for Angela Uley. The lady there told her that they had just taken her up to maternity. We headed for the stairs and when we got to the maternity ward, there was Sue!

"Mom!" Leah called. Sue turned and walked toward us. "Do you know anything? Is Angie and the baby OK?"

"I just got up here. I was on my lunch break when they brought her in. When I got back and saw her name, I came up here to see how she is. Let me go and see if I can find out, OK?" She smiled and touched my cheek as she walked by me.

Leah had a hold of my hand and we just stood there waiting. I had never been in this position before – having to worry about Mom. She was never sick and she had never been in the hospital. She was always worrying about me, and now I felt bad for all the worry I had caused her.

Sue came back and told us, "She is in labor. It's a little early, but not too early that the baby couldn't survive. Her doctor just got here and is in with her now. I'll go back and tell Josh that you are out here then I have to get back downstairs."

"Thanks, Mom," Leah said. She nodded and went through the double doors. Leah led me over to a chair and had me sit down. She sat next to me and kept my hand in hers. "She'll be OK." I looked at and gave her a small smile. I hoped she was right.

Sue was gone for around ten minutes when Dad came through the doors. I jumped up and went to him. "Is she OK?" Dad looked tired and worried.

"She's holding her own right now. Her blood pressure is causing them some concern. It's too high. They are giving her something for that and they put a monitor on her to keep watch on the baby. The doctor is trying to decide whether he can stop her labor. I guess sometimes they can do that if it hasn't progressed too far. That's what he is trying to determine now. I have to get back to her, but I wanted to come out and let you know what's going on. I'll come out and get you when it's OK for you to see her. She knows you're here."

I just nodded. I was so scared, I couldn't say anything. Dad squeezed my shoulder and then turned and walked back through the double doors. Leah led me back to the chair and I sat down. "She's really strong and healthy, Embry," she said. I looked at her and nodded. She laid her head on my shoulder and we sat, and waited.

Finally, about 30 minutes later, Dad appeared at the doors and motioned for us to follow him. We both got up and followed him through the doors and down the hall to Mom's room. I walked in and found her laying there with all kinds of things hooked up to her. She had a monitor over her belly for the baby, and blood pressure cuff on her arm and IV's. I walked slowly up to the bed and looked down at her. She looked so pale and so tired. She smiled at me and said, "Hi, honey."

I leaned down and put a kiss on her forehead. "Hey, Mom. How ya doin?"

"Not so good. The doctor says my blood pressure is too high for natural childbirth. He can't stop the labor, so he is scheduling the OR for a C-Section."

"How soon?" I asked.

"As soon as he can. The baby is under some stress, so he wants to get it out as soon as possible." I nodded. She looked up at me and whispered, "I'm pretty scared." I could see tears in her eyes and felt like I would be dealing with my own very soon. I took her hand and said, "It will be OK, Mom. You're strong and you've taken really good care of this baby."

She smiled at me and said, "I'm really glad you're here." I squeezed her hand and smiled.

Just then the nurse came in and said, "We have the OR. I need to get you ready to go."

I looked down at her and could see the fear in her eyes. "Be strong, Mom. You can do this," I told her. She reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded. "I'll see you soon, OK? You and little sissy." She rolled her eyes at that one and I kissed her again on the forehead and stepped over to Dad. "You OK, man?"

He shook his head. I knew this was killing him. I put my arms around him and hugged him. He held on tight and said, "Thanks, son. I'm glad you're here, too." I let him go and turned to see Leah telling Mom she was proud of her. She kissed Mom on the cheek and then walked over to us. She hugged Dad and told him to stay strong. He said he would try. Then she took my hand and we walked back out to sit . . . and wait.

Around five a.m. I decided to call Sam. I filled him in on what was happening and told him that I would call him back when the baby was here and Mom was out of the OR. He said he wanted to come over, but I told him to wait. He agreed and we hung up. Finally the nurse came to the door and we walked over to her. She said, "Your mother is doing fine. She's resting comfortably. Since the baby was born prematurely, we have her in the neo-natal unit as a precaution. Her lungs are good and her heart is strong. She weighs four pounds, ten ounces, so she will have to be in there for awhile until she gains some weight, but everything else looks good." I felt relief flood through my body.

Leah said, "She? The baby is a girl?"

The nurse smiled and said, "Yes." She looked at me and added, "Your mother found that very funny for some reason."

I smiled as Leah told her how I had been calling the baby "little sissy," and how Mom kept telling me and Dad that she hoped we wouldn't be disappointed when the baby was a boy.

"When can we see them?" I asked.

"Your Mom is sleeping right now and she really needs the rest. And as for the baby, once they are done with some testing, you can go back to see her. Probably within a half hour or so. Your father will probably be out soon to talk to you."

"OK. Thanks for coming out and letting us know what was going on," I said.

She smiled. "That's my job!" She turned and went back to work. I looked at Leah and smiled. "I have a baby sister," I said in awe.

"Yes, you do. I suppose you can't wait to tell your Mom, 'told you so.' I'm sure she's looking forward to that!" I laughed. Maybe I would wait a little bit, but I would say it.

Leah said, "I need some coffee! Even shitty hospital coffee. I'm going to stretch my legs a little and find us some, OK?"

"Yes, sounds good. I'll call Sam back and tell him he has a little sister and Lily has an aunt." She smiled and kissed my cheek then left.

Sam answered on the first ring. "Yea? Everything OK?"

"Yea. We have a baby sister."

"Awesome! Is she OK? Your Mom OK?"

I tried to fill him in on everything the nurse told me. "I'm still waiting to see them both. The nurse said Dad should be out soon, so I'll know more then."

"Em and I will be over sometime this morning. I'm sure Abby will watch Lily for us." Abby? Oh yea, it was Saturday.

"OK. See you then," I said then hung up. I walked back over to the chair and sat down. Man, I was so tired, but yet too excited to actually sleep. I couldn't believe my parents just had a baby! How bizarre.

Leah finally came back and handed me a coffee cup and a donut. I smiled and sipped the coffee and then grimaced. "Yea, I know. Shitty, right?" I had to laugh at that. "But it's caffeine, and I really need that right now," she added.

I did, too, so I drank it and ate my donut. We were wondering what they might name the baby when Dad came through the doors and plopped down in the chair next to me. "God, I'm so tired," he said as he ran his hand over his face.

"How's Mom? And the baby?" I asked quickly.

He looked at me and smiled. "Your mom is finally sleeping. She came through the surgery just fine. They gave her some good pain medicine, so she should be out for a little while. And your sister . . . well, she is beautiful," he said with a huge smile. "Since she is so small, they are keeping her there to watch her. But she is doing great. I'll take you back to see her." I didn't rush him. He looked like he really needed a break.

Leah offered to get him some coffee and he said, "Yes, please!" She smiled and said, "Be right back."

I looked over at Dad and said, "Geez, old man. What are going to do with a girl?"

He laughed and said, "I'm sure she'll have me wrapped around her little finger just like Lily does." I laughed at that. Then he said, "I can't tell you how happy I am right now. I don't think there are words adequate enough to express how I feel." I smiled at him. "Embry, my life has been a hard one. And yet, in the last year, I have been given such precious gifts: your mom, you and Leah, Sam and Emily and Lily, and now . . . this precious baby girl. I keep pinching myself to see if I'm really just laying in the woods somewhere dreaming all of this."

I reached over and pinched his arm and he jumped then he laughed at me. "Nope, you're awake," I told him with a smile. "Dad, I'm happy for you. You deserve this."

Leah came back then with his coffee. "Thanks, honey," he said to her. Then he took a sip and made a face. She laughed and said, "Well, I didn't say it would be good coffee." He smiled and said, "That's OK. I just need something to keep me going."

We let him drink his coffee then he offered to take us back to see the baby. We followed him to the neo-natal unit where we had to put on yellow paper gowns and gloves. Then we went in and Dad led us over to a clear plastic box thing. "Here she is. Embry, this is your little sister."

I looked down to see this very tiny little human being, sleeping on her back, her arms sprawled out to the side. It looked like I could hold her in one hand! She had a little shock of black hair on her head and she had an oxygen tube on her nose. Dad said that was for precautionary measures. Leah was standing beside me and I heard her say, "Oh Josh, she is so beautiful." I reached out and put my arm around Leah. I hoped she wouldn't react like she did when Lily was born. She was so worried about being able to have babies. I didn't want that to resurface right now.

"Does she have a name yet?" I asked.

"Um, I'm not sure." We both looked at Dad and he laughed. "Well, I mean, we had discussed several girl names, but I don't remember actually settling on one. So, when your mom wakes up, we'll talk about it then she'll officially have a name."

We spent several minutes watching her then we all filed out and went back to the waiting room. Leah told us that she wanted to find her mom and give her the good news. So she left, and Dad and I sat down. "Hey, how about some breakfast while Mom sleeps?" I asked him.

"Sounds good," he said with a smile. I called Leah to tell her our plan then walked with my Dad to the cafeteria. I still couldn't get over the idea of having a baby sister. Weird.

Sam and Emily came to the hospital around ten. Dad had just come out and told me that Mom was awake and that she wanted to see us. Sam said that was fine, they would wait, but Dad insisted they come, too. We all followed Dad to Mom's room and walked in to find her sitting up in bed sipping some water.

"Hey, look at you," I said. "You look better than the last time I saw you," I told her.

She smiled and said, "Well, I don't know if I feel better. This hurts."

"Sorry, Mom."

"That's OK. It was worth it. I just got back from seeing her. The nurse took me in a wheel chair. She's so tiny!"

"Yea, she is. I think I could hold in one hand," I told her.

"It's hard not being able to hold her right away. They told me the next time I go to see her, they will try and let me hold her."

Sam and Emily both greeted Mom and Dad and said they couldn't wait to see the baby. "What's her name?" Emily asked.

Mom smiled. "Well, actually, that's why I told Josh to bring you all back here. We have decided on a name."

"So? Is it officially 'Sissy' now?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes and said, "God, no! And stop calling her that!" I laughed and Leah smacked me. "Leah? Come here, honey," Mom said. Leah looked at me with surprise then walked over to stand by Mom's bed. Dad walked over to stand on the other side of the bed to look at Leah. "Josh and I talked and we owe you so much. We wouldn't be where we are now if it wasn't for you. So, this baby's name is Leah Brianne Uley. We'll call her Brianne to avoid confusion, but we wanted you to know that we named her after you and we would like for you and Embry to be her godparents."

I stepped up to put my arm around Leah. I could see tears falling down her cheeks as she smiled. "Yes, of course, we would love to be her godparents! Thank you so much. But, you didn't have to name her after me."

Dad smiled and said, "Yes, we did. And someday, when she's much older, she will know our story. And I want her to know everything you did for us. We love you, Leah. We're so glad that you brought us all together."

She was really crying now, and so was Mom. "Hey, come on! This is a happy day! Enough bawling!" I told them.

Dad laughed and said, "Oh yea! And something else. I got a call from the lawyer yesterday afternoon. The name change went through. You should be getting a letter in a day or two. You are now officially Embry and Leah Uley."

I squeezed Leah closer to me and looked at Dad. This day was so overwhelming! I felt Sam put his hand on my shoulder and give it a squeeze as Emily walked to the other side of Leah and took her hand. I looked around the room and was so amazed at this family I now had. Dad was right. So much had changed in the last year, and it was hard to believe that it wasn't some kind of a dream. I was so lucky and so very thankful. I had it all: Parents, finally married to each other after all these years, who really loved each other, and now had a new baby to love; the best brother anyone could ever ask for and a sister-in-law that loved me unconditionally, and a cute little niece to play with; but mostly, a beautiful, smart, funny and amazing wife, who I would love forever and hopefully raise a family of our own with someday. Life was sweet! And I couldn't wait to see what the future would bring.


	72. Epilogue

Epilogue:

I woke to Leah kissing me and whispering, "Come on, wake up! It's our first Christmas morning together. Let's go open presents!" I smiled and opened my eyes and pulled her to me. I put my lips on hers and kissed her long and slow. "Mmmm, let's stay here and I'll give you a Christmas present," I said against her lips. She smiled and ran her hands over my chest. I rolled her over and kissed her lips and her cheek and down her throat. She sighed as my hands found all of the places she liked best. I loved to hear her cry out as my fingers worked their magic on her. Before long I was on top of her and inside her. I moved slowly until she begged me to move faster. And when she came, she shook and cried out, which made my release that much sweeter. We lay there trying to catch our breath and I rolled to the side to look at her. "Merry Christmas, baby," I said with a smile. She laughed and kissed me. We lay there wrapped in each other for awhile then I finally said, "Did you say you wanted to open presents?"

Her eyes lit up and she said excitedly, "Yes! Let's go!" She flew out of bed and threw on her old pink robe that I loved so much. I pulled on some gym shorts and we walked out to the living room where our little tree was sitting in the window. The Nativity Scene I had given her last Christmas as lovingly displayed on a little table next to the tree. I turned the tree lights on and we sat next to the tree.

We had fun giving each other our gifts. We told each other we weren't going to spend a lot because it really took most of the money we earned just to pay our bills. But business was booming at the garage and the new year looked like we would be bringing home more money.

Finally, Leah handed me the last gift she had for me. She smiled as I opened it. I looked at her curiously as I pulled out a tiny baby onsie that had "I Daddy" on it. _Daddy? Is she . . ._ I looked over to see her nodding. "Baby? Are you pregnant?"

She nodded with tears in her eyes. "Yes, I am. About 10 weeks. I just found out two days ago." I threw the little t-shirt down and pulled her to me. "Oh baby," I whispered. I knew how important this was to her.

"Are you OK with this?" she asked.

I pulled back and looked into her eyes. "Of course I am! I love you, Leah. I've always wanted to have babies with you, you know that."

"I know, but we haven't been married that long, and I . . . "

"I told you when it was time for babies, the baby would be here. So, it must be time." She smiled and I kissed her softly on the lips. "This is the best Christmas present I have even been given." She just glowed. I was truly blessed.

Later, we had Christmas at Mom and Dad's new house. Sam, Emily, Lily and Abby came over, along with Sue and Seth. We all exchanged presents and Lily was happy playing with all the wrapping paper! Leah brought out a big shopping bag and went around handing everyone a small wrapped box. She told them to all wait and open them together. Once they were passed out, she said, "OK. Open them."

They did and there were gasps all around. Mom, Dad and Sue all opened their box to find a tiny onsie like I got, but it said, "I Grandma (or Grandpa)." Sam and Seth got one that said, "I My Uncle" and Emily, Abby and Bree got one that said, "I My Aunt." Even Lily got one that said, "I My Cousin." Leah's face was priceless as she watched everyone open their gifts.

Sue was the first to Leah and she hugged her tight and said, "Oh, honey, I'm so happy for you! I know how worried you were." Then she pulled back and said, "Oh my God! I'm going to be a grandma!" That made us all laugh. After that, everyone came up and offered their congratulations. Abby was especially touched that Leah had given her one that said Aunt.

"Abby, we will always be sisters. You belong to this family now." She cried and hugged Leah and said she couldn't believe how lucky she was. That was the one good thing to come from all of the heartache that Josiah caused us. He did bring Abby to us.

I looked over at Dad and caught his eye. He was holding Bree and he smiled. I was going to be a dad! Next Christmas, that would be me holding my baby. I smiled back and thought again how lucky we all were. Life was sweet indeed.

_A/N: Thank you so much for all of your reviews! I had fun creating all of the new characters in this story. I know I have a long way to go, but I am enjoying my new found love of writing. I am now working on a Jake/Leah story. I said I wouldn't do one, but I woke up one morning with a scene in my head and I had to write it down. It just grew from there! Watch for it. I'll be posting it soon._


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